Port of Oakland reports busiest May in four years

Cargo volumes at the Northern California port increased for the third straight month.    The Port of Oakland handled 213,260 TEUs of containerized cargo last month, 3.8 percent more than in May 2014.
   It was the busiest month since the port handled 216,276 TEUs in August 2011, and the third straight month of year-over-year volume increases reported at Oakland.
   “We’re seeing steady improvement – especially in import cargo,” said the port’s Maritime Director, John Driscoll. “Our job now is to accelerate the momentum.”
   Loaded import container volumes increased 4.5 percent in May from the same period a year ago. Shipments of empty containers back to origins in Asia were up 20 percent. The empty repositioning indicates ports are still rebalancing containers dislocated by winter trade slowdowns, according to the port.
   Export volumes declined 5.6 percent in May, the port said. The port attributed the decrease to a strong dollar, which makes U.S. exports more expensive abroad. Nevertheless, the 79,890 export containers handled in May was the most at the Port of Oakland since last October.