Despite a rollercoaster year with tariffs, and cargo peaks and dips, the Port of Los Angeles saw near-record numbers in 2025 — and is actively preparing for significant growth anticipated to come in 2026.
In his 11th annual State of the Port speech on Thursday, Jan. 22, POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka outlined the ambitious road ahead as the port braces for major expansion, including plans to build a 200-acre container terminal — Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal — and a second passenger cruise ship terminal in San Pedro’s Outer Harbor, with a circular design that would change the appearance of the south-facing harbor.
And then there’s the future of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
“A bridge built for yesterday’s ships cannot be an obstacle for tomorrow’s port,” Seroka said, referring to the 1963 Vincent Thomas Bridge, adding that the port is working with state transportation officials and the governor’s office to “explore all options — which could include building a new crossing.”
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) LA City Councilman Tim McOsker attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) LA City Councilman Tim McOsker attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) LA City Councilman Tim McOsker attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 500 Project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Mayor Karen Bass attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 500 Project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka poses with LA Port Chief of Police Thomas E. Gazsi and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka poses for pictures with fellow officials during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Mayor Karen Bass attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 500 Project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka and Councilmember Tim McOsker applaud Mayor Karen Bass during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 500 Project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 500 Project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka poses for pictures with Capri Maddox, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Department, during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents a rendering of a proposed project during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Mayor Karen Bass attends the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka delivers the 11th annual “State of the Port” address, highlighting the Port’s recent accomplishments, investments, and priorities for 2026, at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Maritime Support Facility during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Pier 300 Expansion during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Maritime Support Facility during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 30Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presents renderings of the proposed Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal during the 11th annual “State of the Port” address at Alta Sea in the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday January 22, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer) Expand“We need to raise or replace it,” Seroka said, “to unlock our full terminal capacity north of the bridge.”
The much-anticipated speech — this year with a record crowd of more than 930 industry and community representatives at AltaSea in San Pedro — drew frequent applause as Seroka also announced that cargo volume in the port topped 10.2 million container units in 2025, making it the third busiest year in the port’s 118-year history. It was the third time the port, the busiest in the nation for 26 years running, exceeded 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units.
Among speakers introducing the port executive was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who reminded the audience that in just two years, the port will see a surge of activity, with San Pedro hosting sailing events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The year ahead, Seroka told the crowd in his hourlong, sold-out address sponsored by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, will be one of growth and investment in infrastructure, technology, the community and the environment.
Seroka also noted that San Pedro’s long-awaited grand opening of the West Harbor waterfront retail and dining center is set to happen this summer. Other West Harbor amenities, including a 6,200-seat amphitheater that could also open this summer and a 175-foot-tall observation wheel overlooking the harbor, are also in final phases of planning.
The groundbreaking on the Avalon Pedestrian Bridge, meanwhile, will happen next month, linking the Wilmington community to the new Wilmington Waterfront Promenade that opened in 2024.
As for 2025, it was a wild one.
It was “a year like no other,” Seroka said. “From accelerated dips in volume to record highs, it truly was a rollercoaster.”
The year included a November ship fire that, Seroka said, displayed the quick response, heroism and bravery of many who joined forces to bring the emergency to a successful end.
“This could have been catastrophic,” Seroka said. “Instead, all 23 crew members were evacuated safely, hundreds responded — dockside and waterside — from labor crews to firefighters to law enforcement and the United States Coast Guard. The result? Zero fatalities. Zero injuries. Air emissions and water pollution stayed below danger thresholds. And all terminals were fully operational by the next morning.”
Seroka presented the leaders of the responding agencies with the Guardian of the Harbor Lighthouse Award during the luncheon.
And while 2025 carried its share of challenges, Seroka said, that wasn’t unusual.
“Throughout our 118-year history,” he said, “not a single year has gone by without headwinds.”
Looking ahead, he said, global changes will continue posing challenges.
“There’s a lot of change in our world right now,” Seroka said. “The global trade map is being redrawn. Shifting trade policies are creating uncertainty and volatility. And the maritime supply chain is at the center of it all.
“(But) cargo remains the lifeblood of the U.S. economy,” he added. “That means we — this port — must be ready for whatever is coming.”
Building “bigger and smarter,”Seroka said, will be the focus of the port this year, with a stress on capacity, smarter technology and increased sustainability.
“That’s our charge,” he said.
The projects the port will continue working on this year include:
The proposed Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal, which will be the first new container terminal to be developed in the port in a generation, Seroka said. “We envision a bold expansion,” with 200 acres and 3,000 linear feet of wharf space creating more capacity. With cargo expected to grow in the decades ahead, he said, the goal also is to make Pier 500 “the greenest, cleanest, new-build terminal in the world.” A Maritime Support Facility, which is now in a design phase and will take 80 acres of under-utilized land on Terminal Island to serve as a “dedicated hub” for chassis parking and maintenance, along with container pick-up and drop-off. Major expansions at Fenix Marine Terminal and LA Til Container Terminal in the West Basin, which will round out planned capacity expansions.Other advances being made, Seroka said, include:
Continuing to invest in technology for such platforms as the Port Optimizer and added tools such as The Signal that track imports and provide real-time information; a Universal Truck Appointment System, Seroka said, has “already improved gate usage by 20% for the 20,000 trucks” that serve the port. The use of artificial intelligence paired with “the real-world experience of our people” to track issues such as ship delays. Investing in workforce training that includes work ongoing with the Port of Long Beach, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Pacific Maritime Association, and the California Workforce Development Board to create a training campus, for which the first design phase will be completed this spring, Seroka said. New rail developments that will link to the port to the Central Valley, viewed as a boon for exports.In other remarks, Seroka touted advancements made in areas that long have been a concern for community residents, who for decades have battled the issues of port pollution and commercial waterfronts falling into disrepair.
“In October, we presented the port’s 2024 air emissions inventory, which tracks progress of the ambitious goals we set — along with the Port of Long Beach — in the landmark Clean Air Action Plan,” Seroka said. “Our latest report showed that the Port of Los Angeles has achieved the lowest emissions ever on a per-TEU basis.”
An EPA Clean Ports grant — amounting to $650 million, with the addition of private funding and including both the ports of L.A. and Long Beach — will bring “battery-electric, human-operated, zero-emission equipment to our docks, along with new charging stations and 250 ZE drayage trucks,” Seroka said. “Five of our terminals — Yuen, Everport, Trapac, Fenix and APMT — are already ordering equipment.”
Green shipping corridors, new next-generation and zero-emission passenger vessels for harbor cruises, and terminal investments in new, clean equipment were also included in Seroka’s list of environmental advancements.
Seroka also addressed the port’s investment in the community for both waterfronts, as well as for projects sponsored by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium; the port contributed $2.4 million for upgrades and a new life support system, with renovations set to be unveiled in April.
Changes ahead will be significant, Seroka said, noting that the growing cruise industry created a record year in Los Angeles in 2025, including 241 calls — and 1.6 million passengers.
“That’s over $300 million going straight to our local community,” Seroka said. “(In 2025, the port) welcomed Royal Caribbean’s Ovation fo the Seas, the largest vessel ever home-ported here — accommodating more than 4,900 guests and managed by 1,500 crew members.”
In 2026, he said, Princess Cruises will add four calls from its newest and largest ship, the Star Princess. The port will also see Virgin Voyages as a new partner line, Seroka said.
The new cruise terminal is being carried out by “Pacific Cruise Terminals,” a joint venture between Carrix, Inc. — one of North America’s leading cruise terminal operators — and JLC Infrastructure, Seroka said.
The coming years, he said, will also see ramped up preparations for the 2028 Olympics. The last time the port saw Olympic events was in 1932, Seroka said. In 2028, six boating and sailing events will take place in the port’s outer waters.
“It’s amazing to think how different the waterfront will look,” Seroka said, “not only for our communities but for the millions of visitors and cruise passengers who will come through our port.”
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