NWSA volume growth continues

Throughput at terminals operated by the Northwest Seaport Alliance grew 10.6 percent in July.    Volumes of containerized cargo at terminals operated by the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which includes the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, grew for the second straight month in July after three consecutive months of year-over-year declines.
   NWSA terminals handled 327,462 TEUs for the month, a 10.6 percent increase from the same month a year ago, according to the latest data from the ports.
   Total international container volumes jumped 14.8 percent year-over-year to 262,139 TEUs in July, as imports surged 18.3 percent to 139,567 TEUs, the most for the month since 2010, and exports swelled 11 percent to 122,571 TEUs, the most since 2005, NWSA said.
   Loaded imports showed the strongest growth, up 19.6 percent to 130,766 TEUs, while loaded exports climbed 6 percent to 70,944 TEUs. Total throughput of empty containers stood at 60,429 TEUs, a 15.9 percent jump from the same month last year.
   “July volumes validated the strong peak season forecasted by importers,” NWSA said, adding that “shippers may also be shipping ahead of planned tariffs.”
   Volumes of domestic cargo, however, slipped another 3.4 percent to 65,324 TEUs compared with July 2017, with volumes to/from Alaska slipping 2.7 percent to 56,256 TEUs due to continued soft market conditions and shipments to/from Hawaii falling 7.5 percent to 9,068 TEUs for the month.
   Total cargo volumes at the Pacific Northwest ports have fallen in four of the first seven months of 2018 on a year-over-year basis, but thanks to the bounce-back in June and July, total throughput is down just 0.8 percent to just over 2.1 million TEUs compared with the same 2017 period.
   In non-containerized cargo, breakbulk volumes have grown 27.6 percent to 138,184 metric tons through the first seven months of 2018, but year-to-date auto volumes have now fallen 4.9 percent to 78,424 units.