PMSA: Monthly inbound traffic up, exports down at major USWC ports

On the export side, the five biggest ports on the U.S. West Coast handled 12,556 fewer outbound TEUs in July 2017 than in the same month a year earlier, a decline of 8.3 percent, according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).

   The five major U.S. West Coast (USWC) container ports – Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma, and Seattle — collectively handled 99,376 more inbound TEUs in July 2017 than in the same month a year ago, for a year-over-year gain of 11.2 percent, according to data newly compiled from the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).
   PMSA’s data shows that growth was held back by a gain of just 0.4 percent at Oakland, along with another off month at the Northwest Seaport Alliance ports of Seattle and Tacoma, which reported a 2.3 percent (2,557 TEUs) drop in incoming box volumes.
   In Canada, the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert posted a healthy 12 percent gain (21,587 TEUs) compared with July 2016, while the Mexican ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas saw a 10.3 percent increase (14,338 TEUs).
   On the loaded export side, the five biggest USWC ports handled 12,556 fewer outbound TEUs this July than they had a year earlier, a decline of 8.3 percent. Only the Port of Los Angeles, up 16.9 percent (12,556 TEUs) year-over-year, registered positive export growth.
   The two British Columbia ports, on the other hand, saw their outbound trades increase by 5.6 percent (plus-5,507 TEUs), despite a slight export fall-off at Prince Rupert.
   USWC ports saw a 5.7 percent increase in containerized import tonnage compared with last July, but all other mainland U.S. ports collectively enjoyed an 11.1 percent bump in import tonnage. As a result, PMSA statistics show, the USWC share of imported containerized tonnage in July stood at 38.7 percent, down from a 39.8 percent share the previous month and a 40.6 percent share in July 2016.
   By declared value, however, USWC ports held a 49.2 percent share of containerized imports at U.S. mainland ports in July, up from 48.4 percent in June and virtually even with their 49.2 percent share in July of last year. USWC ports’ containerized exports, by declared value, had a 33.4 percent share of containerized exports from mainland ports in July, down from 34.6 percent in June and 40.6 percent a year earlier.
   By declared weight, USWC ports saw a 5.5 percent decline in tonnage from July 2016, while other U.S. mainland ports sustained a 1.6 percent fall-off.
   “Looking solely at the transpacific containerized trade, USWC ports’ share of the declared weight of the contents of containerized imports arriving at mainland ports from East Asia held firm,” the PMSA said. “The July share was 58.6 percent, up just a smidge from 58.5 percent in June but down only a tad from 58.7 percent a year ago.”
   USWC ports held a 67.8 percent share of the declared value of containerized imports arriving at mainland ports from East Asia, down from 68.0 percent in June and from 68.1 percent in July 2016. For containerized exports to East Asia from mainland ports, the USWC share by declared weight slipped to 61.9 percent in July from 62.6 percent in June and from 62.4 percent in July 2016. On a value basis, the USWC share in July was 67.1 percent, down from 68.9 percent in June and from 67.7 percent last July.
   By declared weight, China was by far the biggest destination for USWC containerized exports in July, with a 34.3 percent share, down from its 40.8 percent share a year ago. Japan was second with a 12.1 percent share, up from 10.8 percent a year earlier. South Korea held a 9.9 percent share, up from 8.5 percent last year.