NWSA container volumes up 2% in 2016

The Northwest Seaport Alliance handled 3.6 million TEUs for the full year in 2016, a 2 percent increase from the previous year and the highest throughput for the ports since 2007, according to recent data from the port authority.    The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which comprises the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., handled 3.6 million TEUs for the full year in 2016, a 2 percent increase from 2015 and the highest container throughput for the ports since 2007, according to recent data from the port authority.
   Loaded import volumes were up 6 percent to 1.4 million TEUs compared with the previous year, while laden exports jumped 13 percent to 984,274 TEUs.
   Domestic volumes, on the other hand, slipped 1.5 percent yer-over-year in 2016 as Alaska struggled with a decline in oil- and gas-related project activity due to low commodity prices, NWSA said.
   In other cargoes, automobile shipments slid 10 percent to 165,687 units, while breakbulk shipments fell 23 percent to 181,372 metric tons and log exports decreased 25 percent to 176,928 metric tons.