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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 19 2017

August container volumes see 6 percent increase

Sep 19 2017

Containers
The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total year-to-date container volumes through August increased 5 percent while total monthly volumes for the gateway improved 6 percent over August 2016.

Full imports for the month of August reached their highest level since 2010, increasing 1 percent to 119,529 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) compared to last year. Full exports were down 8 percent to 76,614 TEUs. Empty exports, reaching their highest volume since 2006, grew 58 percent as ocean carriers continued to reposition containers to Asia to keep pace with peak-season demand.

Year to date, full import volumes were up 5 percent to 922,886 TEUs, the fourth-highest on record. Meanwhile, full exports were down 1 percent at 616,957 TEUs. Total international container volume, including empties, increased 9 percent year to date to 1,963,419 TEUs, the highest YTD volume through August since 2007.

Total domestic volumes for the month increased 6 percent compared to the same month last year. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were down 7 percent and are expected to end the year 8 percent lower than 2016 due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest are down 2 percent year-to-date due to diversion to Southern California.

Other cargo:

  • Driven by consistent demand from China, log volumes continue to grow. They were up 101 percent to 186,582 metric tons year to date compared with the same period last year.
  • Breakbulk cargo volume was down 3 percent to 125,030 metric tons year to date due to soft market conditions.
  • Autos, at 96,962 units year to date, were down 19 percent compared to the same period last year, reflecting weakening U.S. demand and shifting manufacturing locations.

View the August 2017 cargo reports:
Aug 22 2017

July container volumes show 5 percent increase year to date

Aug 22 2017

Cargo
The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s total year-to-date container volumes increased 5 percent while total volumes for the gateway declined 1 percent in July.

Year to date 2017’s total international TEU volumes were the highest since 2007. Year to date, full import volumes were up 6 percent to 803,357 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). Meanwhile, full exports were flat to 540,344 TEUs. Total international container volume, including empties, increased 9 percent year to date to 1,702,776 TEUs.

Full imports for the month of July declined 2 percent to 109,182 TEUs compared to last year. Full exports were down 13 percent to 63,599 TEUs for the month. Empty exports grew 39 percent as ocean carriers continue to reposition containers to Asia to keep pace with peak-season demand.

Recent changes in vessel deployments by the new ocean carrier alliances have contributed to July’s month-over-month softening of volume. The Northwest Seaport Alliance continues to invest in infrastructure to increase options for handling multiple super-post Panamax ships at the same time, and to streamline the movement of cargo through our gateway.

Total domestic volumes for the month declined 8 percent compared to the same month last year. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes are down 9 percent and are expected to end the year 8 percent lower than 2016 due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest are down 5 percent year-to-date due to diversion to Southern California.

Other cargo:

  • Driven by consistent demand from China, log volumes continue to grow. They were up 101 percent to 186,582 metric tons year to date compared with the same period last year.
  • Breakbulk cargo volume was flat to 108,321 metric tons year to date due to soft market conditions.
  • Autos, at 82,480 units year to date, were down 23 percent compared to the same period last year, reflecting weakening U.S. demand and shifting manufacturing locations.

View the July 2017 cargo reports:
Jul 26 2017

Total year-to-date container volumes up 7 percent

Jul 26 2017

Total container volumes for the gateway declined 1 percent in June, but total year-to-date Northwest Seaport Alliance volumes are up 7 percent.

June cargo stats
Year to date, full import volumes were up 7 percent to 694,175 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). Meanwhile, full exports grew 2 percent to 476,745 TEUs. Total international container volume, including empties, increased 10 percent year to date to 1,477,870 TEUs.

Full imports for the month of June declined 10 percent to 115,788 TEUs compared to last year. Full exports were down 15 percent to 73,916 TEUs for the month. Empty exports grew 60 percent as ocean carriers continue to reposition containers to Asia in preparation for peak season. The National Retail Federation recently projected in its June – October forecast that imports are expected to continue their strong growth trend.

Total domestic volumes for the month declined 3 percent compared to the same month last year. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes are down 8 percent and are expected to end the year 5 to 6 percent lower due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest declined 3 percent due to diversion to Southern California.

Other cargo:

  • Driven by consistent demand from China, log volumes continue to grow. They were up 138 percent to 159,704 metric tons over the same time last year.
  • Breakbulk cargo was down 1 percent, to 93,257 metric tons year to date, due to soft market conditions.
  • Autos, at 74,489 units year to date, were down 17 percent compared to the same time last year, reflecting weakening U.S. demand and shifting manufacturing locations.

View the June 2017 cargo reports:

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