File Photo: A ship and containers are shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 16, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Port of Los Angeles moved more cargo in 2018 than any time in its 111-year history, up 1.2 percent than 2017, the port said Wednesday.

According to a press release of the port, the total moving cargo volume of the North America's busiest container port in 2018 was about 9.46 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), creating the third consecutive year of record volumes.

The port processed 903,258 TEUs in December 2018, a 15.9-percent jump compared to that in December 2017. It was the sixth consecutive month of volume exceeding 800,000 TEUs.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hailed the achievement, saying "Los Angeles is open for business and engaged with the world -- and now, we have another record year at the Port of Los Angeles to show for it."

Business insiders said the cargo surge was driven by strong economy in the United States and fear of the White House political trade policy that ignited trade friction with China last year by imposing tariffs on imports from China.

"2018 was marked by a robust economy coupled with tariff-induced surges of cargo headed to U.S. retail and manufacturing sectors," said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

A Chinese businessman who operates a chemical company in Ohio told Xinhua on Thursday that it was very difficult to book a container from China to Port of Los Angeles at the end of last year. His top business partners are from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, with 137 billion U.S. dollars worth of traded products in 2016.

The data provided by the port showed that in December 2018, the total loaded imports jumped from 385,492 TEUs of the same period last year to 468,905 TEUS, while the loaded exports slid from 152,865 to 147,965 TEUs.