The Port of
Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) of land and water along 43 mi (69 km) of waterfront. The port is located on
San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of downtown. The Port of Los Angeles adjoins the separate Port of
Long Beach, employs over 16,000 people, and is the busiest container port in the
United States. For public safety, the Port of Los Angeles utilizes the Los Angeles Port Police to fight crime and terrorism, and the Los Angeles City Lifeguards to provide lifeguarding services for inner
Cabrillo Beach.
Shipping:
The container volume was 7.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in calendar year 2010. The Port is the busiest port in the United States by container volume, the 16th busiest container port in the
World and the 6th busiest internationally when combined with the neighboring
Port of Long Beach. During the 2002 West Coast port labor lockout, the Port had a large backlog of ships waiting to be unloaded at any given time. Many analysts believe that the Port's traffic may have exceeded its physical capacity as well as the capacity of local freeway and railroad systems. The chronic congestion at the Port is beginning to cause ripple effects throughout the American economy and is disrupting Just In Time inventory practices at many companies.
The port is served by the Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) railroad. From the PHL the intermodal railroad cars go north to Los Angeles via the
Alameda Corridor. There are plans to deepen the port to 50 feet, which is about deep enough to accommodate the draft of the world's biggest container ships such as the PS-class Emma Mærsk and the future Maersk Triple E class.
