Container terminal

Port of Oakland’s Container Volumes Keep Rising

Container volumes at Port of Oakland continued rising in the first quarter of 2019 following shippers’ attempts to stay ahead of new tariffs affecting the U.S.-China trade.

Illustration. Image Courtesy: Pixabay under CC0 Creative Commons license

The port reported a positive first quarter in cargo volume as it handled 612,151 TEUs for the period through the end of March 2019, marking a rise of 4.2 percent compared to 587,356 TEUs recorded during the same period in 2018.

“Though the import rally has calmed down, we are still seeing a strong consumer demand in Northern California and Western Nevada,” John Driscoll, Port of Oakland Maritime Director, said.

“The Bay Area’s strong consumer-based economy has helped the Port of Oakland absorb the impact of the weakening rally better than other ports.”

In March alone, the port reported a volume of 213,972 TEUs compared to 193,341 TEUs seen in the same month in 2018, representing a 10.7 percent increase. Loaded exports also grew 7.6 percent in March compared to the same month a year earlier.