Archive \| www.aapa-ports.org	February 4, 2013

Tacoma's 2012 Container Volumes Grew 16%, Breakbulk by 68%

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Double-digit gains for both imports and exports boosted container volumes at the Port of Tacoma by 16 percent in 2012 to 1.7 million TEUs in 2012, the most since 2008.

Containerized imports jumped by more than 27 percent, bolstered by strong demand for auto parts, furniture, toys and sporting goods, while exports were up nearly 22 percent, thanks to agricultural products and bulk commodities, such as scrap paper.

According to the port, the upswing reflects the addition of the Grand Alliance and its associated carriers in July, as well as significantly stronger volumes from established customers. The new Grand Alliance services helped increase container vessel calls by 10 percent.

December container volumes jumped 45 percent from a year ago, largely because of cargo diverted from Southern California ports during the eight-day labor strike in late November and early December.

Port of Tacoma CONTAINER TRAFFIC 20-Foot Equivalent Units – TEUs
	December			January-December
	2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change
INTERNATIONAL	153,169	87,153	75.7%	1,274,130	1,021,957	24.7%
Loads in	65,843	39,848	65.2%	611,085	479,828	27.4%
Loads Out	54,668	32,742	67.0%	457,137	375,744	21.7%
Empties	32,658	14,563	124.3%	205,908	166,385	23.8%
DOMESTIC	23,489	34,555	-32.0%	443,565	463,660	-4.3%
GRAND TOTAL	176,658	121,708	45.1%	1,717,695	1,485,617	15.6%
Source: Port of Tacoma

Breakbulk cargo volumes rose for the second year in a row, up 68 percent from 2011, thanks to strong demand overseas for construction and agricultural equipment, and additional calls by larger ro/ro vessels.

Additional 2012 cargo results from Tacoma:

Intermodal lifts grew 30 percent, reflecting the port's growing container traffic.
Total cargo improved almost 4 percent to nearly 18 million tons.
Auto imports fell almost 9 percent.
Log exports declined 35 percent as demand from Asia slowed.
Grain exports fell 19 percent due in part to drought in the U.S. Midwest.

For 2013, the port forecasts 14 percent growth in container volumes, a 7 percent increase in auto imports, and moderate gains for grain and log exports.

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