LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles Wednesday celebrated its second-best start to a year on record, announcing the handling of 855,652 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in January, an 18% increase over the same time last year.

January’s data continues an upward trend for the port, and is the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. According to port officials, the best start to a year resulted from the pandemic-induced cargo surge in 2022.

The port loaded imports at 441,763 TEUs, up 19% compared to Jan. 2023. Loaded exports came in at 126,554 TEUs, which is up 23% from Jan. 2023.

The port processed 287,336 empty containers, an increase of 14% compared to the same time last year.

“Two factors are driving our strong start,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said during Wednesday’s online media briefing.

The first factor is cargo owners’ replenishing inventories and moving goods at a “fast clip” ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which will slow production in Asia, and the second factor is strong consumer spending, he said.

“Consumer spending and mostly strong economic data continue to accelerate the American economy,” Seroka said. “Last season’s holiday sales grew nearly 4% with strong job growth and other key indicators trending in a positive direction.”

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who joined Seroka for the briefing, highlighted the need for infrastructure and sustainability investments in the state’s ports and freight system.

“California’s historic investments in our state’s supply chain infrastructure are designed to make our ports more competitive and sustainable,” Kounalakis said. “With updates in infrastructure, digitalization and zero-emission projects at the Port of Los Angeles, California’s supply chains are moving goods efficiently, accelerating the decarbonization of the state freight sector, all while creating high-quality jobs.”