Containerized import volume continues to grow at the Port of Oakland, marking a 4% increase for the first 11 months of 2014, with a 2.97% increase in November, the third straight month of gains over last year.
The port handled the equivalent of 771,454 20-foot import containers in the first 11 months of 2014, compared to 741,662 containers during the same period in 2013.
The port attributed the increase to aggressive marketing, greater consumer demand and cargo diversions from congested Southern California ports. Through the peak shipping season, which concluded in November, thousands of imports rerouted to Oakland.
Overall volume at the port – imports and exports – is up 1.5% in 2014. Exports have declined 4%. The port attributed the export drop to a strong dollar, which makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas. Exports have accounted for 54% of the port’s cargo volume in 2014 bolstered by a strong agricultural market.
“Our objective is to make imports a bigger percentage of the cargo mix in Oakland,” said Maritime Director John Driscoll. “We’re progressing and the challenge now is to step up the pace in 2015.”