NWSA sees box volumes surge in January

However, the Northwest Seaport Alliance said it may see lower cargo volumes for February, and volumes with Alaska are expected to decline for the full year of 2017 due to soft market conditions.    The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which encompasses the marine facilities of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, handled 301,105 TEUs in January 2017, a 17 percent increase from January 2016.

   The NSWA reported that for January 2017, compared to 12 months prior:
     • Full international import containers increased 18.9 percent to 128,892 TEUs;
     • Full international export containers increased 16.7 percent to 76,339 TEUs;
     • Empty international containers increased 15.3 percent to 44,579 TEUs;
     • And total domestic containers increased14.6 percent to 51,295 TEUs.

   The NSWA attributed the boost in container volumes to fuller ships from Asia calling ahead of the Chinese New Year, as well as retail stores restocking their inventory after a strong holiday season for the retail industry.
   “The Lunar New Year landed on Jan. 28 this year. Traditionally, the factories in China ramp up production leading up to the holiday before they shut down for up to two weeks for the holiday,” the NWSA said. “As a result, ocean carriers reduce the number of sailings to accommodate for the slowdown. With China making up approximately 60 percent of our import volumes, we may see lower cargo volumes in February because fewer ships will reach our gateway.
   “Domestic volumes for January performed better than the previous year, with Alaska volumes up more than 19 percent as a result of three additional sailings in January,” the NWSA said.
   However, the alliance cautioned, “Alaska volumes are expected to decline 5 to 6 percent this year due to soft market conditions.”