NWSA container volumes grow 6 percent in February 2018
A late Lunar New Year positively impacted The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s February volumes as shippers moved cargo in advance of the holiday. Total container volumes grew 6 percent in February 2018 compared to February 2017 for a total of 279,488 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), the company said in its press release.
Total international container volume, at 233,643 TEUs, increased 7.4 percent from February 2017. At 125,005 TEUs, import volumes were up 13.4 percent from the prior year volumes. Meanwhile exports were up 1.3 percent at 108,638 TEUs.
Positive volumes in February was not the only good news. The NWSA received four new ZPMC super post-Panamax cranes for Husky Terminal. Pier 4 at Husky is being reconfigured to align with an adjacent pier, creating one contiguous berth capable of working two 18,000-TEU container ships simultaneously. While the NWSA already handles 13,000-TEU vessels, the project is our strategic commitment to modernize the terminals to handle the larger ships of the future.
Total domestic volumes in February decreased 0.7 percent to 45,845 TEUs compared to February 2017. Alaska’s volumes were down 2.4 percent due to soft market conditions. Hawaii volumes through the Pacific Northwest increased 7.8 percent due to improved market conditions.
Overall total year-to-date volumes are down 5.2 percent. Imports and exports declined 6.4 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
Other cargo highlights:
Breakbulk cargo volume grew 29.7 percent year to date to 32,482 metric tons.
At 21,763 units, auto volume was down 8 percent year to date, mirroring the overall decline in the North American auto import market.
