As for the Seaway itself, the SLSDC reports shipments through June 30 of the shipping season that began April 4 totaled 10.4 million metric tons, down 10.4 percent from a year ago due in part declines in iron ore (-12 percent), coal (-33 percent), and liquid bulk (-7 percent. Gainers included stone (+24 percent), potash (+179 percent), general cargo (+1.0 percent) and U.S. grain exports (+17 percent).
Puget Sound Gateway Container Volumes grow in June
International container volumes through the Puget Sound gateway ports of Seattle and Tacoma jumped 14.3 percent in June from a year ago, with gains of 10.7 percent and 63.1 percent by import-laden and empty containers, respectively, and a 4.9 percent drop in exports. The total count, including domestic container movements, rose 7.5 percent to 344,573 TEUs. First half volumes remain stable at nearly 1.8 million TEUs, up percent from January-June 2014.
In other year-to-date cargo news:
- Breakbulk volumes were down 2 percent to 141,608 metric tons
- Grain exports fell 8 percent to 3,554,868 metric tons
- Auto imports continued to grow, up 5 percent to 93,890 units
The ports are well along with their plans to form The Northwest Seaport Alliance. The two port commissions are expected to vote on the final agreement at a joint meeting August 4.
San Pedro Ports Box Traffic up- 3.2 Percent In May
The San Pedro Harbor ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles together handled container volumes totaling just over 1.3 million TEUs in June, down 1.9 percent from the preceding month and 3.1 compared to June 2014. In detail, the data show declines from a year ago of 4.7 percent for inbound loads, 9.7 percent for outbound loads, and an increase of 5.9 percent in empty containers That brought year-to-date throughput at America’s largest container handling complex to 7.2 million TEUs, down 2.0 percent from 7.4 million TEUs in January-June 2014. View the PDF for additional detail.