The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma in the United States, reported decreased container volumes in August.
In particular, total container volume for August decreased 10.4% to 280,436 TEU, with full imports declining 11.1% and full exports declining 9.9% year-over-year. In addition, year-to-date volumes declined 6.2% to 2,347,740 TEU, with full imports and exports declining 10.4% and 21.8%, respectively.
However, NWSA TEU volumes in last month showed improvement compared to July figures with laden imports up 15% and laden exports up 19%.
NWSA said that vessel delays and omissions due to congestion in other ports continue to negatively impact volumes at the ports. “Import volumes are also reflecting softening consumer demand for certain commodities,” noted the alliance.
Furthermore, YTD August breakbulk cargo volumes grew 34.3% for 318,044 metric tons and auto volumes were 95,108 units, down 17.6% over YTD August 2021.