Container volumes continue to rise at Seattle, Tacoma

The Northwest Seaport Alliance, comprised of the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, said the August increase bodes well for the peak shipping season.    The Northwest Seaport Alliance, encompassing the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, said its terminals handled 320,477 TEU in August, 14.6 percent more than in August 2014. The port said full international containers were up 31.4 percent in August to 113,9727 TEU, and full export containers were up 2 percent to 72,072 TEU.
   “The increase is significant, as peak shipping season — when retailers increase inventories to prepare for the holiday shopping season — hit early last year as shippers sought to avoid possible West Coast labor disruptions during contract negotiations,” the ports said in a statement. “Last month’s volumes hint at the beginning of 2015’s peak season.”
   The ports said more than 2.4 million TEUs, including empty containers and domestic containers have crossed NWSA docks year to date, a 5.4 percent increase over the first eight months of 2014.