News Content

Inbound box volume at top 5 USWC container handling ports up 6pc in Aug

THE top five US west coast container ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle collectively handled six per cent more containers in August than during the same month last year, equivalent to 55,808 more inbound TEU, according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).

However, the figures show that the growth rate was negatively impacted by a mere 0.9 per cent rise in inbound traffic at the Northwest Seaport Alliance ports of Seattle and Tacoma, as well as by a 0.6 per cent drop in throughput at Oakland, reported American Shipper.

In the Canadian province of British Columbia, the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert collectively recorded a throughput growth of 9.5 per cent, equivalent to 16,904 TEU in August. The ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas on the Pacific Coast of Mexico achieved a year-on-year increase of 7.8 per cent, or 12,145 TEU.

With regards to loaded exports, the five major container handling seaports on the US west coast in August collectively suffered a throughput decrease of 10.1 per cent year on year, after handling 48,092 fewer outbound TEU than in August 2016. Of the five, only the port of Los Angeles saw export growth, recording an increase of four per cent, or 6,192 TEU.

Export volume at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert dropped by 7.16 per cent, handling 7,568 TEU fewer than in the same month a year earlier, while the two Mexican ports posted a 1.3 per cent (1,151 TEU) rise in August exports.

Regarding US Commerce Department value and weight trade statistics, US west coast ports saw a 1.3 per cent increase in containerised import tonnage over August 2016, and their share of mainland US containerised import tonnage rose to 40.7 per cent.

By declared value, US west coast ports held a 50.1 per cent share of containerised imports at all US mainland ports in August, up from a share of 49.6 per cent in August 2016.

However, in terms of declared weight of the containerised exports, US west coast ports registered a 6.2 per cent drop in tonnage against August 2016, according to the PMSA, and their share of containerised export tonnage fell this August to 39.9 per cent, down from a 41.6 per cent share the same month a year earlier.

By declared value, USWC ports had a 34.3 per cent share of containerised exports from mainland ports in August, down from a 35.1 per cent share a year ago.