Port of Long Beach Sees Strong Start For 2021 The new year ushered in the busiest January on record at the Port of Long Beach, largely driven by the ongoing rise in online spending by consumers following stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 764,006 twenty-foot equivalent units in January, a 21.9% jump from the same month last year. It was the first time the nation’s second-busiest seaport handled more than 700,000 TEUs in the month of January, surpassing the previous record set in January 2018 by 106,176 TEUs. Imports grew 17.5% to 364,255 TEUs, while exports climbed 7% to 116,254 TEUs. Empty containers headed back overseas increased 34.6% to 270,221 TEUs.