NWSA box volume growth continues in April

The Northwest Seaport Alliance saw container volumes rise 0.5 percent year-over-year in April 2017 and 7.6 percent through the first four months of the year, according to recent data from the ports.    The Northwest Seaport  Alliance (NWSA), which comprises the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., saw container volumes grow 7.6 percent to 1.18 million TEUs in the first four months of 2017 compared with the same 2016 period, despite changing ocean carrier alliance deployments via the newly commenced THE Alliance and OCEAN Alliance carrier vessel sharing agreements.
   Container volumes were 0.5 percent higher in April 2017 than in the previous April at 282,775 TEUs, said NWSA.
   Loaded international container imports for the month grew 6.2 percent to 110,821 TEUs compared to the same period last year, while loaded international container exports were up 1 percent to 77,558 TEUs.
   April’s full imports brought year-to-date volumes to 462,427 TEUs, an 11 percent increase, while full exports grew 5 percent to 324,743 TEUs. Total international containers, including empties, increased 12 percent year-to-date to 967,718 TEUs.
   Domestic volumes, on the other hand, declined heavily due to soft market conditions, with total domestic container throughput down 21 percent year-over-year to 55,821 TEUs in April and 8.2 percent to 214,352 TEUs through the first four months of the year.
   Alaska year-to-date volumes have dropped 8.1 percent to 176,856 TEUs and are expected to decline another 5 percent to 6 percent, according to NWSA, while shipments to and from Hawaii have fallen 8.9 percent to 37,364 TEUs during the same timeframe.
   Other cargo, including breakbulk and automobiles, were down due to soft market conditions, weakening U.S. demand and shifting manufacturing locations, said NWSA. Breakbulk cargo was down 10 percent while autos dropped 13 percent through April.
   Log volumes, however, were up 165.3 percent to 94,547 metric tons compared with the same four-month period last year due to consistent demand from China, said NWSA.