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Monthly cargo reports

We are the fourth-largest container gateway in North America, and our regional marine cargo facilities are also a major center for bulk, breakbulk, project/heavy-lift cargoes, automobiles and trucks. We report volumes each month.

Sep 18 2019

Total YTD container volumes up nearly 6 percent through August

Sep 18 2019

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total container volumes from January through August 2019 reached 2,562,328 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 5.8% increase from the same period last year. Import and export volumes grew 3.4% and 8.5%, respectively.

In August, the NWSA moved 320,564 TEUs, a 2% increase from August 2018. International imports were down 2.5%, while exports were up 9.6%.

Domestic container volumes in August decreased 3.5% over August 2018. Despite the dip, Alaska’s and Hawaii’s year-to-date volumes were both up 6.1% and 3.3%, respectively.

In August, the NWSA began accepting proposals for cargo operations at Terminal 46, a 50-acre deep-water marine facility in Seattle. The successful proposal will align with and support our goal of growing cargo volumes and creating family-wage jobs in the Puget Sound region while diversifying the gateway’s overall cargo portfolio.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volumes were up 13.6% year to date to 180,841 metric tons.
  • NWSA auto volumes year to date were 107,220 units, up 23.1%.

View the August 2019 cargo reports:
Aug 20 2019

NWSA handles record international container volumes through July

Aug 20 2019

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The Northwest Seaport Alliance reached a historic milestone in July, handling a record 1,818,221 international twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) year to date, a 6.2% increase from the prior year. This surpasses the previous record set in 2005 of 1,801,175 TEUs.

Total container volumes from January through July 2019 totaled 2,241,764 TEUs, a 6.4% increase from the same period in 2018. Import and export volumes grew 4.2% and 8.3%, respectively.

Total overall container volumes for July reached 326,515 TEUs, a 0.3% decrease from July 2018. International imports were down 5.5%, and exports were up 3.1%. Shipping lines canceled several sailings to manage container capacity in the trans-Pacific trade. In addition, July 2018 was an unusually robust year as shippers increased orders in advance of tariffs.

July also marked the launch of the $500 million Terminal 5 construction project in Seattle. Modernizing the 185-acre container terminal will increase the NWSA’s capacity to handle the largest container vessels serving our gateway.

Domestic volumes in July increased 4.4% over July 2018. This marked the seventh consecutive month of domestic container growth. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were up 8%. Hawaii’s year-to-date volumes were up 3.4%.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volumes were up 18.3% year to date to 163,650 metric tons.
  • NWSA auto volumes year to date were 97,957 units, up 24.9%.

View the July 2019 cargo reports:
Jul 18 2019

NWSA’s international TEUs through June 2019 reach record volumes

Jul 18 2019

The Northwest Seaport Alliance reached record-breaking international container volumes with 1,559,903 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 7.6 percent increase from the prior year. The year-to-date international container volumes through June surpassed the record set in 2005 with 1,532,987 TEUs.

For total container volumes from January through June 2019, the NWSA handled 1,915,249 TEUs, a 7.6 percent increase from the same period in 2018. Import and export volumes grew 6 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively.

Total container volumes in June reached 343,221 TEUs, a 2.3 percent decrease from June 2018. One factor was that shipping lines canceled several sailings to manage container overcapacity for the trans-Pacific trade. International imports were down 5.9 percent, and exports were down 5 percent over June 2018.

Domestic volumes in June remained strong with a 12.1 percent increase over June 2018. This marked the sixth consecutive month of domestic container growth. Alaska volume was up 16.4 percent from June 2018, supported by strong Alaska North Slope oil and gas activity. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were up 8.6 percent. Hawaii’s year-to-date volumes were up 3.8 percent.

The NWSA announced the launch of the Gate Efficiency Program in June to help fund additional gate hours at our international container terminals through December 2020. The incentive-based program began on July 1 with participation from Terminal 18 in Seattle and Pierce County Terminal in Tacoma.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volumes were up 17.1 percent year to date to 141,266 metric tons.
  • NWSA auto volumes year to date were 80,674 units, up 18.8 percent.

View the June 2019 cargo reports:

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