Cargo continued to return to the Puget Sound gateway in
February, with container volumes through the ports of Seattle and Tacoma –
collectively known as the Northwest Seaport Alliance – jumping nearly 21
percent compared to February 2015, according to newly released data.
The two ports saw a combined 267,951 TEUs in February, a
20.7 percent increase over the 222,009 TEUs during the same month last year.
Robust import and export volumes propelled the growth according
to the data, which was released March 17. Full containerized imports climbed 31
percent year to date to 215,690 TEUs, while full exports improved 31 percent to
141,890 TEUs.
There was also an overall 27 percent year-to-date gain in
international volumes to 428,234 TEUs, which the Seaport Alliance said reflects
the impact of last year’s contract negotiations. Last year’s volumes were down during
the first two months of 2015 due to the then-ongoing talks between the Pacific
Maritime Association and International Longshore & Warehouse Union.
The two parties reached an agreement on a new contract in
February 2015.
Domestic container volumes fell eight percent to 97,066 TEUs
last month, due in part to Alaska’s economy continuing to struggle because of
lower oil prices.
Auto imports and breakbulk cargo also saw declines last
month due to seasonal volume fluctuations and fewer vessel calls. Auto imports
fell 11 percent year to date to 25,190 units, while breakbulk dropped 40 percent
to 25,973 metric tons. However, both are projected to grow in 2016, according
to the Seaport Alliance.
February 2016 container volumes for the ports can be seen at
https://www.nwseaportalliance.com/file/520
and cargo statistics for the month are available at https://www.nwseaportalliance.com/file/519.
