July Port Container Volumes Jump Amid Early Holiday Season
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
U.S. ports are reporting record gains for this time of year with volumes being boosted by school supplies and an earlier-than-normal peak shipping season.
Port of Los Angeles processed 939,600 20-foot equivalent units for July, a 37% jump from 684,290 moved a year earlier. The latest figure is a July record for the port. It also was the best month in more than two years. 2024 already is 18% ahead of last year’s pace.
“We’ve seen an influx of year-end holiday goods coming across our docks a bit earlier than usual to avoid any risk of delay later in the year,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said during a media briefing. “These goods — think toys, electronics and clothing — are arriving at the same time as more typical back-to-school, fall fashion and Halloween merchandise.”
Port of Long Beach also reported a record for the month — and its third-busiest ever — with container volume increasing 52.6% year-over-year to 882,376 containers from 578,249. The port also noted that year-to-date volume increased 20% to 5,174,002 containers.
Cordero
“We’re in a strong position heading into the peak shipping season as consumers purchase back-to-school supplies and shippers move goods ahead of potential tariff increases,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said. “We have plenty of capacity across our terminals and cargo continues to move efficiently and sustainably.”
Northwest Seaport Alliance noted that combined volumes between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., increased 12.7% to 264,726 TEUs from 234,875. The facility noted that voyage consistency and increased vessel calls continued to drive strong container volumes, which were up 11.7% to 1,822,489 for the first five months of the year.
Port of Oakland reported that container volume climbed 18.8% year-over-year to 184,467 TEUs from 136,181 but noted that overall volume was reduced slightly during the month due to a few canceled or blank sailings. That reduced the number of vessel calls at the port.
Brandes
“We are encouraged that demand for imports is steadily increasing and anticipate the remainder of the year to be strong,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said. “This growth reflects an influx of back-to-school and holiday goods across our docks.”
Port Houston reported a 5% year-over-year volume decline to 325,277 containers from 344,163. It attributed the loss to the month being particularly challenging between weather and a brief global system outage that impacted operations. Year to date, container volume was 10% over last year at 2,423,474.
“Our double-digit growth so far this year underscores Port Houston’s resilience and strategic significance in the global supply chain, and we are expecting a strong third quarter as well,” Executive Director Roger Guenther said. “Locally, we faced some challenges this month, but our team excelled at rebounding quickly.”
RELATED: Port Traffic Booms Despite Recession Fears
Port of Baltimore continued to not have data available due to operations being disrupted since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse March 26. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced the full reopening of the port June 12. The Port of Virginia also has been slow to report cargo volume due to the disruptions and ongoing construction. It did report that it processed 3.5 million TEUs for the fiscal year ending June 30, marking a 2% increase over the prior fiscal year.
Melvin
South Carolina Ports Authority reported that volume increased 7.8% to 224,407 TEUs from 208,134. The port attributed the growth primarily to the start of peak season and a growing population in the region boosting loaded imports. This also marked the second highest July ever for the port.
“The South Carolina market is ripe for companies to put new investment in the ground and benefit from direct access to our world-class port system,” SC Ports CEO Barbara Melvin said. “We deliver reliable port service, a strong intermodal network and future capacity to support growth.”
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also reported its busiest July on record — and seventh-busiest month ever —with container volume increasing 11% to 806,015 from 725,479. The port, which attributed the rise to retailers preparing for back-to-school and holiday shopping, has handled 5.02 million containers through the first seven months of the year.
Georgia Ports Authority did not have their monthly numbers available at press time.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
