NWSA YTD container volumes up 2% despite November decline

Year-to-date import volumes increased 1 percent, while exports were up 8 percent to 1.32 million TEUs, in spite of a 13 percent year-over-year decrease in November volumes, according to newly released data from the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA).    The combined year-to-date container volumes for the ports of Seattle and Tacoma through November are up 2 percent compared to the same 11-month period last year, according to data released Dec. 19 by the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which runs the ports’ marine cargo operations.
   Year-to-date import volumes increased 1 percent to 1.38 million TEUs during the time period, NWSA statistics show, while exports were up 8 percent at 1.32 million TEUs. Total international container volume, including empties, rose 4 percent year to date to 2.7 million TEUs.
   Year-to-date international volumes are currently trending to be the fourth highest in the ports’ history, according to the NWSA.
   But despite the YTD gains, November containers declined compared to the same month last year.
   Total monthly volumes for the gateway fell 13 percent over November 2016, statistics show, as imports for the month dropped 15 percent to 123,730 TEUs compared to last year while exports were down 10 percent to 120,517 TEUs.
   Additionally, total domestic volumes for the month decreased 15 percent compared to the same month last. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were down 7 percent and are expected to end the year 8 percent lower than 2016 due to soft market conditions, NWSA data show, while Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest are down 3 percent year to date.
   The lone bright spot regarding containerized cargo volume in November came in the form of empty exports, which grew 17 percent over the same month last year as ocean carriers continued to reposition containers to Asia to keep pace with peak-season demand.
   In other cargo news, log volumes at Seattle-Tacoma remained positive year to date, and were up 63 percent to 246,303 metric tons so far compared with the first 11 months of 2016, NWSA data show. Meanwhile, other breakbulk cargo volumes grew 14 percent to 189,846 metric tons for the same time period.
   However, weakening U.S. demand and a shift in manufacturing locations continued to impact auto volumes at the ports last month, as total vehicle shipments through November were down 14 percent year-over-year to 130,071 units, according to the NWSA.