Port Traffic Metrics: Northwest Seaports, Savannah

Seattle/Tacoma: Northwest Seaports Alliance Experiences Strongest Container Volumes in Four Years

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) reports October was the strongest month since 2012 for full load import and export container volumes at its Seattle and Tacoma terminals, with increases from a year ago of 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

To support this peak shipping season’s strong agricultural exports, the NWSA has lengthened the extended gates program through December 2. The main commodities moving through the gateway are hay, forest products, fruits and vegetables.

Data for the year through October show gains from January-October 2015 of 4 percent for imports and 13 percent for exports. Total throughput remained essentially unchanged at 2,963,157 TEUs, largely because of declines in empty and domestic container traffic.

Domestic trade benefited from a late run of seafood, but volumes overall have been undercut by weakness in the Alaskan economy resulting from slumping petroleum prices.

Other cargo news:

• Breakbulk cargo: Down 28 percent year to date to 152,075 metric tons due to the global downturn in agricultural, mining and construction equipment, and a strong U.S. dollar.
• Log exports: Down 27 percent year to date to 150,962 metric tons due to decreased demand in China and competition from New Zealand
  
• Autos: Down 10 percent to 8,630 units for the month because of production issues as well as supply chain shifts.

Learn more by clicking on Container volumes – October 2016  and Cargo statistics – October 2016.

The NWSPA is a marine cargo operating partnership between the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.

Port of Savannah Marks Record October

Georgia Port Authority reports its Garden City Terminal in the Port of Savannah experienced a 4 percent increase in loaded container traffic during the first four months of the fiscal year that began July 1. The total through October amounted to 1.1 million TEUs, an increase of 40,545 TEUs from the comparable period of FY 2015-16.

The October tally of 251,566 loaded TEUs set an all-time GPA record for that month.

Cargo throughput at GPA terminals reached 10.36 million tons, an increase from July-October 2015 of 0.5 percent.  Containerized cargo alone increased by 3.6 percent to 8.9 million tons.  

"I would like to thank our customers for their continued confidence, and congratulate our entire team on this record growth, achieved despite challenges related to Hurricane Matthew and the Hanjin bankruptcy," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "These results are a testament to GPA's strength in the marketplace, and the need to continue expanding capacity on GPA terminals."