Port of Oakland experiences export decline

Imports have increased in Oakland, but exports have fallen off so far this year.    Containerized cargo volume at the Port of Oakland dipped 1 percent in November to 193,115 TEUs, primarily due to a 12-percent fall in loaded exports to 78,239 TEUs, according to statistics released Monday.
   Overall volume at the port has grown 1.5 percent to 2.2 million TEUs so far this year, while exports have declined 4 percent.
   The port authority attributed the export drop to a strong dollar, which makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas.
   Containerized imports at the Port of Oakland were up 4 percent (771,454 TEUs) through November compared to the first 11 months of 2013. November import volume increased 2.97 percent from a year ago, marking the third straight month of gains on a year-over-year basis.
   Oakland historically has had more export than import business because of its proximity to central and northern California agricultural production and its limited intermodal connections to the central United States, compared to gateways in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California. Exports have accounted for 54 percent of the port’s cargo volume in 2014.
   Oakland has not been overwhelmed by new volume and has not experienced the same congestion as other major port complexes on the West Coast.