The Port of Long Beach handled almost 818,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in April, down 5.7 percent from year ago. Although imports declined 7.1 percent to nearly 119,000 TEUs, the port’s CEO Noel Hacegaba largely shrugged off the monthly dip as a reversion to the mean.

Exports saw a massive 26.7 percent jump to nearly 119,000 TEUs, which also hit empty containers fall 12.6 percent to 309,000 TEUs as ships could not take as many empties back to Asia.

The numbers run directly opposite to the tonnage at its sister port, the Port of Los Angeles, which increased 5.7 percent to 890,861 TEUs. But they are in line with figures reported by logistics software company Descartes, which said April inbound cargo volumes at major ports sank 5.5 percent.

Hacegaba said the San Pedro Bay gateway is “beginning to see a retrenchment to what is typical” for a four-month stretch to start the year, noting that the port’s comparisons to the year prior were difficult amid the industrywide front-loading ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Port of Long Beach achieved its strongest April on record last year, when more than 867,000 TEUs passed through—up 15.6 percent from the year prior.

The Port of Long Beach released the results along with the unveiling of a new center dedicated to defending the gateway against cyberattacks. On average, the port says it blocks or stops an attempted cyberattack every three seconds.

The newly launched Cyber Defense Operations Center (CDOC) enables the maritime hub to double the number of on-site staff focused on safeguarding the Port’s digital supply chain and further leverage its in-house and contracted resources. The port partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate the state of cybersecurity at the port, and to better understand technologies and practices to be put in place on location.

“What sets our new CDOC apart is its ability to bring cyber operations and harbor patrol under one roof,” Hacegaba said. “An incident that starts in one domain moves seamlessly into another. Most ports with cyber teams keep those worlds separate. The Port of Long Beach runs them as one operation.”

The investment comes at a time when ports are in dire need of help to fend off attacks from bad actors.

The Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport endured a cyberattack in August 2024 initiated by a ransomware group that caused some IT system outages disrupting Wi-Fi, facility websites, flight display screens and check-in kiosks. The incident did not the ability to safely use the seaport’s maritime facilities, or travel to or from the airport.

The damage from the data breach compromised the personal information of approximately 90,000 individuals, including employees, contractors and parking customers.

“We have seen the headlines, we have heard about ransom attacks,” said Frank Colonna, president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioner, at the briefing. “We also are aware of rising numbers of GPS jamming in busy waterways and threatening safe navigation. These are criminals who want to actually access our systems to sow chaos. We cannot and will not allow that to happen.”

The port CEO said there was no specific incident that prompted the decision to launch CDOC, but “rather a constant stream.”

According to the 2026 Maritime Cyber Threat White Paper from South Korean cybersecurity solutions provider Cytur, maritime cyber incidents experienced a 103 percent surge in 2025 compared to 2024, rising from 408 to 828 reported incidents.

Citing that study, Hacegaba said during his presentation that the average financial impact of ransomware attacks came to about $500,000 per targeted organization.

U.S. ports have been seeing more federal investment flow in amid concerns of state-sponsored attacks.

In 2024, the Biden administration set aside $20 billion to bolster port security initiatives over the next five years. At the time, the administration also expanded the power of the Department of Homeland Security to set baseline cybersecurity standards for computer networks that operate U.S. ports, with President Joe Biden signing an executive order requiring ports and vessels to report cyberattack incidents.

Cyberattacks weren’t the only crime topic the L.B. port brass touched on, with Hacegaba commending the U.S. House for advancing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) on Wednesday, noting that “our sea dock plays a critical role in preventing organized crime from accessing information about cargo leaked through cyber breaches.”