The two major Pacific Northwest container ports continued to move in opposite direction in March, with Seattle total box volume spiking upward nearly 40 percent and Tacoma total box volume declining just more than 11 percent for the month.
Seattle port officials said that 154,081 TEUs were handled at the port in March, a 39.4 percent increase compared to the year-ago period. Total loaded inbound box volume for March was up 31.6 percent to 55,716 TEUs and loaded outbound box volume ended the month up 34.8 percent at 43,679 TEUs, both compared to March 2009.
The nearby Port of Tacoma continued its container volume freefall, ending March at 39,063 TEUs, an 11.4 percent decline than March 2009. Total loaded inbound box volume for the month dipped 4.6 percent to 39,063 TEUs as total loaded outbound box volume dipped 29 percent to 32,030 TEUs, both compared to the same period last year.
The Port of Tacoma has not reported a month-to-month box volume increase in more than 27 months.
