Port of Oakland sets record in 2016

The port handled a record amount of loaded containerized cargo in 2016, despite the decision by Ports America and Terminal Investment Ltd. to close their operation at the port’s Outer Harbor.    The Port of Oakland handled a record amount of loaded containerized cargo in 2016 at 1.83 million TEUs, topping the previous record of 1.82 million TEUs set in 2013, and a 7.6 percent increase from 2015.
   The port attributed the increase to a boom in containerized exports and growth in imports.
   Containerized export volumes jumped 10.5 percent from 2015, while containerized imports ticked up 4.7 percent. Import and export volumes were similar, with exports accounting for 52 percent of loaded container volumes and imports accounting for the remaining 48 percent.
   For December alone, exports and imports rose 13.5 percent and 6.1 percent year-over-year, respectively.
   The increase came despite the decision by Ports America and Terminal Investment Ltd. to close their operation in Oakland’s Outer Harbor last year.
   Overall, total box volumes, including full and empty containers, reached 2.37 million TEUs for the full year of 2016, up 4 percent from 2015.