THE Northwest Seaport Alliance reached a milestone in July with regards to its international trade volumes, after handling a record 1,818,221 TEU year to date, representing a 6
THE Northwest Seaport Alliance reached a milestone in July with regards to its international trade volumes, after handling a record 1,818,221 TEU year to date, representing a 6.2 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year. Total container volumes in the first seven months of 2019 rose by 6.4 per cent year on year to 2,241,764 TEU, with import and export volumes expanding 4.2 per cent and 8.3 per cent, respectively, reported AJOT.
Total overall container volumes for July were up 0.3 per cent to 326,515 TEU, after international imports declined 5.5 per cent, but exports increased by 3.1 per cent. Shipping lines blanked several sailings to manage container capacity in the trans-Pacific trade. Furthermore, July 2018 was an unusually strong year, as a point of comparison, given that shippers boosted orders ahead of tariff hikes.
July also marked the commencement of the US$500 million Terminal 5 construction project in Seattle. Modernising the 185-acre container terminal will improve the NWSA's capacity to accommodate the largest box ships that call.
Domestic volumes in July rose by 4.4 per cent year on year, marking the seventh straight month of domestic container growth. Alaska's year-to-date volumes were up eight per cent, while Hawaii recorded volume growth of 3.4 per cent over this period.
WORLD SHIPPING
