In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ports of the Pacific Northwest reported a sharp decline in their cargo traffic during April, following the economic impacts of the outbreak.
Specifically, Northwest Seaport Alliance handled 247.675 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in April 2020 as total container volumes declined 23.5% year over year.
Amid this unprecedented crisis, which continues to disrupt the global supply chain, full imports marked a drop of 13.9% in comparison to April 2019, while full exports decreased 17.6%.
Our gateway experienced a total of 39 void sailings through April, driven by the lingering trade dispute with China and the global coronavirus pandemic.
….Northwest Seaport Alliance commented.
As a result of the pandemic, total container cargo volumes were down by 17.5% year to date.
With seaports play a major role in boosting the nation’s economic recovery, all marine cargo terminals in Seattle and Tacoma struggled to remain open and operational. In fact, Northwest Seaport Alliance noted:
We continue to work closely with our terminal operators, labor, warehouse companies and supply chain partners on customized COVID-19 solutions to ensure the gateway operates at a high level.
For the records, Northwest Seaport Alliance is a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Combined, the ports are the fourth-largest container gateway in North America. Regional marine cargo facilities also are a major center for bulk, breakbulk, project/heavy-lift cargoes, automobiles and trucks.
