Puget Sound ports report import declines, export increases

Puget Sound ports report import declines, export increases The ports of Seattle and Tacoma have reported declines in container volumes and increases in containerized exports through the first seven months of the year.
   Seattle port officials said container volumes handled since January fell 8 percent to 1.02 million TEUs over the first seven months of 2007.
   The nearby Port of Tacoma dipped 0.8 percent through July, from the 1.1 million TEUs handled by the port in the first seven months of 2007.
   According to port officials, Tacoma's recent volumes appear to have been buoyed by an aggressive sales campaign to attract container traffic and the January start of operations in Tacoma by ocean carrier MOL.
   Import container volumes at both ports through July registered sizable declines. Seattle import container volumes dipped 13 percent and Tacoma's loaded inbound containers fell 6.5 percent.
   One bright spot for both ports was the continued growth of export container volumes. Officials at Seattle reported that in the first seven months of the year, containerized exports through the port grew 1.6 percent, while Tacoma's export containers jumped 22 percent.