The volume of full cargo containers imported and exported through the Port of Oakland rose in March 2012 compared with the same period last year, according to newly released data.
The number of full imports climbed 8.2 percent and exports rose 2.4 percent, to 62,854 20-foot equivalent units and 91,635 TEUs respectively, according to the port.
The bad news for Oakland is that the gains were offset by significant declines in the number of inbound and outbound empty containers.
Empty exports dropped by 10.2 percent to 17,033 TEUs during the month, while the number of empty imports fell to 25,835 during March, a fall of a whopping 16.2 percent compared with the same month in 2011.
When added up, the gains and losses in volume amounted to a flat increase of 0.2 percent in traffic volume for the month.
Oakland’s year-to-date numbers follow the monthly trend of increases in full container volumes and decreases in empties. During the first three months of the year, Oakland’s volume of full, inbound containers is up two percent compared with the same three months in 2011, while the number of full exports is up 4.3 percent.
Conversely, according to the port’s data, the number of empty exports and imports are down 8.9 percent and five percent, respectively. For the calendar year to date, the port’s total container volume is 559,987 TEUs, a drop of 0.9 percent compared with the same three months in 2011.
