Containerization

Containerization is a system of freight and cargo transport using standard containers that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes and trucks. Almost every manufactured product spends some time in a container. Containerization is an important element of the innovations in logistics and security that revolutionized freight handling in the 20th century.

The Port of Los Angeles is the #1 container port by volume in the United States. The Port of Los Angeles has held this distinction consistently since 2000. In 2006, the Port moved an impressive 8.5 million TEUs that established a new national container record.  

For the second consecutive year, the Port of Los Angeles experienced record-breaking exports as outbound container volumes surged in 2011 and 2010. As part of President Obama’s National Export Initiative Agenda of 2010, which calls for a doubling of U.S. exports over a five-year period, the Port continues to focus on assisting businesses throughout the region learn the basics of exporting, including costs, risks, finding overseas markets, trade financing and logistics. Export workshops occur throughout the year.

Annual container counts for Port of Los Angeles in Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) -- a standard measurement used in the maritime industry for measuring containers of varying lengths -- are presented on the column to the right. This information is available as far back as 1980.