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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.

Jan 22 2019

NWSA finishes 2018 on strong note; December container volumes rise 12 percent

Jan 22 2019

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total monthly container volumes for December reached 349,055 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 11.6 percent increase over the same month last year.

Total import volumes were up 20.2 percent at 159,550 TEUs, compared to December 2017, as shippers continued to send cargo in anticipation of higher tariffs. Full imports, 138,873 TEUs, set a record for the month of December. At 140,749 TEUs, total export volumes were up 7.4 percent over last year. Total international container volumes for the month rose 13.8 percent year over year to 300,299 TEUs.

December also included the arrival of the YM Wondrous at Terminal 18 in the North Harbor. At a capacity of 14,080-TEUs, the vessel is the largest Yang Ming Line containership to ever call a U.S. port.

Total domestic volumes for December decreased 0.5 percent to 48,756 TEUs compared to December 2017. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were down 2.7 percent due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest were down 4 percent year to date.

Total year-to-date container volumes grew 2.6 percent.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volume was up 18.1 percent year to date to 248,933 metric tons.
  • Auto volume for December was 26,644 units, the highest monthly volume on record. Volumes for the year finished down 0.5 percent to 146,147 units.

The new Taylor Way Auto Facility in the South Harbor opened for business in December with the arrival of the first shipments of passenger cars.

View the December 2018 cargo reports:
Dec 19 2018

NWSA’s November container volumes up nearly 7 percent

Dec 19 2018

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total monthly container volumes for November reached 319,242 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 6.7 percent increase over the same month last year.

Import volumes were up 8.9 percent at 134,909 TEUs, compared to November 2017, as shippers continue to send cargo in anticipation of higher tariffs. At 130,503 TEUs, export volumes were up 3.5 percent from the prior year volumes. Total international container volumes for the month rose 6.2 percent year over year at 265,411 TEUs.

In November, SSA Marine’s Terminal 18 surpassed 1 million TEUs in yearly container volume. The historic milestone marks the first time a single marine terminal in Washington state handled a million TEUs in a year. T-18 is on track to top 1.1 million TEUs by the end of 2018. SSA Marine improved productivity in collaboration with ILWU Local 19 to begin continuous vessel operations and invested in rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) to increase both reliability and productivity in handling containers.

November also included the arrival of Evergreen’s Thalassa Axia, the largest vessel to call our South Harbor. Evergreen is upsizing four of the six vessels on the TPS service at least through the first quarter of 2019. These larger ships will provide additional capacity for import and export customers during peak shipping season as three 14,000-TEU vessels and one 11,000-TEU vessel enter the service.

Recording the largest gain for 2018, total domestic volumes for November increased 9.4 percent to 53,831 TEUs compared to November 2017. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were down 3.5 percent due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest dipped 0.8 percent year to date.

Total year-to-date container volumes grew 1.7 percent.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volume was up 20.5 percent year to date to 228,837 metric tons.
  • Auto volume was down 8.1 percent year to date to 119,503 units.

View the November 2018 cargo reports:
Nov 16 2018

NWSA’s October container volumes up nearly 10 percent

Nov 16 2018

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total monthly container volumes for October reached 333,995 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 9.9 percent increase over the same month last year.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance import volumes increased to 144,925 TEUs, a 20.7 percent increase compared to October 2017. At 134,096 TEUs, export volumes were up 7.2 percent from the prior year volumes. Total international container volumes for the month rose 13.8 percent year over year at 279,020 TEUs.

International volumes for the month were the strongest since October 2005, our highest October on record. Monthly volumes benefited from a surge in imports as shippers continue to send cargo ahead of tariffs.

“As we approach January, the uncertainty of the tariffs is driving our import customers to re-examine their supply chains and explore new strategies,” said Tong Zhu, NWSA’s chief commercial officer and chief strategy officer. “Regardless of the impacts, our team at The Northwest Seaport Alliance is committed to supporting our customers and implementing innovative solutions to move cargo through our gateway.”

Total domestic volumes in October decreased 6.6 percent to 54,974 TEUs compared to October 2017. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were down 4.4 percent due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest were down 2.2 percent year to date.

Total year-to-date container volumes are up 1.3 percent.

Other cargo highlights:

  • Breakbulk cargo volume grew 16.1 percent year to date to 199,563 metric tons.
  • Auto volume was down 9.4 percent year to date to 108,967 units.

View the October 2018 cargo reports:

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