Port official warns cargo volume will plummet 35% next week as tariffs bite

Shipping containers at Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles in File photo by Mike Blake Reuters The Port of Los Angeles is expecting a drop in cargo from Asia next week the facility s executive director revealed in a CNBC interview on Tuesday It s a precipitous drop in volume with a number of major American retailers stopping all shipments from China based on the tariffs stated Gene Seroka Seroka commented retailers have communicated him they have just a six- to eight-week supply of inventory at this point He reported that until specific accord or framework is reached with China the volume coming out of that country except for a few commodities would be very light at best United States consumers and manufacturers alike will find complex decisions in the weeks and months to come if policies don t change Seroka revealed The adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest container ports in the Western Hemisphere and are the preferred entry gates for goods from China But there are other evolving ports up and down the coast San Diego s port for instance services specialty cargo Examples that move through the Port s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal include auto and aviation parts bauxite bananas sugar and more In addition one in imported vehicles in the U S comes through San Diego Reuters contributed to this assessment