The Port of Tacoma reported a second straight month of declining cargo growth in June, with a double-digit drop over the same month last year.
Despite the decline in the year-over-year comparisons for June, the total number of containers moved during the month was the highest of any month since October 2010 and a modest increase over May.
Tacoma officials reported handling a total of 130,838 TEUs in June, a 5.3 percent increase over May, but an 11.1 percent decline over June, 2010.
Imports for the month were down over last June, while exports posted strong growth numbers.
On the import side, the port handled a total of 40,727 loaded inbound TEUs in June, a 19 percent increase over the previous month, but a 22 percent drop over total loaded inbound boxes handled in June of last year.
Container exports fared much stronger in June, with the port handling a total of 32,435 loaded outbound TEUs. This was a 15.5 percent increase over May and a 10 percent increase over June 2010.
For the calendar year, the port remains in positive territory, up 2.3 percent over the first six months of last year with a total of 720,178 TEUs handled since the start of the year.