Port of Oakland container volumes slide 5% in September

The Northern California seaport saw throughput of loaded export boxes jump 10 percent while laden imports fell 4.2 percent compared with the same 2015 period, according to recent data from the port authority.

   The Port of Oakland in September saw container volumes slide 5 percent to 187,540 TEUs compared with the same 2015 period, according to the most recent data from the port authority.
   The Northern California seaport saw throughput of loaded export cargo jump 10 percent year-over-year to 76,356 TEUs for the month, but the increase was offset by a 4.2 percent drop in laden imports to 70,307 TEUs.
   The growth in exports continues a strong run for the Port of Oakland, now up in eight of the last nine months. Laden imports have now fallen for two consecutive months following a 4.9 percent year-over-year decrease in August.
   Year-to-date, loaded export volumes are up 9 percent to 694,464 TEUs through September compared with the first nine months of 2015, while loaded imports are up 5.3 percent to 664,151 TEUs during the same period.
   The port handled 16,745 TEUs of inbound empty containers in September, 15.4 percent more than the previous year, and 24,132 TEUs outbound empties, 39.9 percent fewer than in September 2015.
   Volumes of inbound empties stood at 162,152 TEUs for the first nine months of the year, up 10.3 percent from the same 2015 period, and outbound empties at 246,569 TEUs, a 15.6 percent year-over-year drop.
   Ports up and down both coasts of the United States have seen disruption resulting from the decision by struggling South Korean ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping to declare bankruptcy on Aug. 31. Hanjin had deployed the majority of its capacity in the transpacific trade between Asia and the West Coast of North America and was a primary carrier for Korean exporters and importers alike.
   South Korea was the seventh largest trading partner with the Port of Oakland in terms of imports in 2015 at 189,989 metric tons (2.8 percent of inbound cargo volumes at the port) and the third largest in terms of exports with 836,325 metric tons (12.3 percent of outbound volumes), according to the port authority.