By Mark Edward Nero
Port of Seattle terminals saw a total of 104,832 TEUs in June 2014, a drop of more than 27 percent from the same month last year, according to newly-released port data.
The Port of Seattle has only had one month so far this year where container volumes exceeded those of the corresponding month in 2013. In May, the port saw more than 145,000 TEUs, about 12 percent more than May 2013.
Of the nearly 105,000 containers that moved through Seattle last month, the majority were full containers being imported from overseas, 31,483 TEUs, followed by full containers being exported to foreign countries, 29,811 TEUs.
During the same month in 2013, about 144,000 TEUs moved through the Port of Seattle, including 50,396 full imports from overseas and 38,395 full exports.
For the year to date, Seattle terminals have seen 718,879 TEUs, which is a 9.4 percent drop from the 793,000 containers that were seen during the same six-month period last year.
The port first saw its numbers dip on a consistent basis when the Grand Alliance consortium of shippers began calling at the Port of Tacoma in July of 2012.
Even with the addition of two new customers – United Arab Shipping Co. and Pacific International Line came to the port in 2013 – volumes still have yet to grow back to mid-2012 levels.
