Friday, March 18, 2011

Seattle Cargo Volumes Up, Tacoma Sees Best Monthly Increase in 3 Years

Total cargo volumes increased in February at the two major Puget Sound ports, with Seattle numbers tempering somewhat compared to the port’s past 12 months of performance and Tacoma turning in the best year-over-year increase in more than three years.

The Port of Seattle moved a total of 146,805 TEUs in February, a 4.2 percent increase over February 2010. The numbers are a bit of a cooling off from the monthly double-digit monthly growth increases the port experienced during most of 2010.
The port handled a total of 56,588 loaded inbound TEUs in February; a 5.8 percent decrease from the year-ago period, and 46,191 loaded outbound TEUs, a sizable 14.5 percent increase over the same month last year.

The Port of Tacoma reported moving a total of 116,484 TEUs during the month, a 15.4 percent increase over the same period last year. February was the third straight month of double-digit volume increases at the port and the largest single month percentage increase since 2006.

Officials said the port handled a total of 35,894 loaded inbound TEUs in February, a 15 percent increase over the year-ago period. The port also handled a total of 33,508 loaded outbound TEUs for the month, a 22 percent increase over February 2010.