Tacoma container volumes lag other ports
Container volumes at the Port of Tacoma fell 11.4 percent in March to 129,781 TEUs compared to the same month in 2009 and are down 14.7 percent to 323,614 TEUs year-to-date over last year.
The port's most significant loss was export volumes, which fell to 32,030 TEUs from 45,046 TEUs in March 2009. International inbound TEUs dipped to 39,063 TEUs from 40,964 TEUs. Domestic volumes in the Alaska and Hawaii trades rose 1,443 TEUs to 43,443 TEUs.
Tacoma has been slow to regain container volumes compared to West Coast competitors, and despite a significant upturn in U.S. imports compared to 2009, when the recession was still in full swing.
Nearby Port of Seattle in March experienced a 39.4 percent increase in container volumes to 154,081 TEUs from the previous year. During the first quarter, container volumes jumped 35.2 percent. The blemish for Seattle was a 5.7 percent drop in trade with Alaska to 38,671 TEUs. Alaska volumes are down 8.9 percent for the year so far.
The Port of Oakland reported a 10.7 percent increase in container volumes to 186,956 TEUs in March, with import volumes up 14.7 percent. Year-to-date container volumes are up 8.7 percent to 499,561 TEUs.
Container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles grew 4.5 percent to 550,249 TEUs in March on the strength of U.S. exports. Outbound traffic increased 15.8 percent to 161,816 TEUs, while inbound volume decreased 2.86 percent to 269,634 TEUs. Container volumes in Los Angeles overall are up 7.9 percent to 1.65 million TEUs for the first quarter.
The Port of Long Beach said TEUs increased 13 percent in March to 422,774, with inbound and outbound volumes rising almost 11 percent. Volumes are down 1.6 percent overall for the first quarter, mostly because empty containers have declined 20 percent. Exports are up 14 percent year-to-date.
The Port of Portland's container volume declined 19.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010, though the ports' bulk tonnage has increased significantly in comparison to the same quarter in 2009.
Container volume fell to 39,134 TEUs January through March, with most of the decline coming in exports, which fell 30.8 percent, to 20,024 TEUs.
Meanwhile, breakbulk tonnage rose 161.4 percent to 292,321 tons, though the number of cars shipped through the port declined 4 percent, to 55,244 units.
Tacoma's monthly statistics show intermodal lifts increased 20 percent year-over-year in March to 30,716, the highest monthly volume so far this year and the most in 18 months.
The Washington port, which has four intermodal yards, reported increases in international and domestic volumes. Year-to-date intermodal volume is down 2 percent to 72,708 lifts from the first quarter of 2008. ' Eric Kulisch
