Container volumes at Seattle, Tacoma jump 7.9% in July

Year-to-date, container volumes are up 4 percent and automobile volumes are up 7.7 percent at the Pacific Northwest ports.    The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) between the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma said its container terminals handled 296,349 TEUs in July, 7.9 percent more than the 274,593 TEUs handled in July 2014.
   Year-to-date, the alliance terminals have reported a combined throughput of 2,080,335 TEUs, 4 percent more than in the first seven months of 2014.
   Strong volumes of full import containers powered a 3 percent year-to-date gain in containerized imports to 823,695 TEUs. Export containers grew nearly 6 percent year to date to 733,150 TEUs, propelled by the high volume of empty containers being sent back to Asia.
   Full export containers struggled in July, falling nearly 14 percent on the year, which the ports attributed to “the result of a stronger U.S. dollar and softening economies in Japan and China. Drought and extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest have also challenged Washington state’s agricultural output.”
   Year-to-date, auto imports at the Puget Sound ports jumped nearly 8 percent to 109,950 units; breakbulk volumes have stabilized, down less than 1 percent to 162,090 metric tons; and grain exports are down almost 12 percent to 3,690,251 metric tons.