Port of Oakland container volume achieved an all-time high in 2018. Specifically, the Port handled the equivalent of 2.55 million 20-foot containers last year. An increase of 5.2% from 2017.
This was the second year in a row that the Port of Oakland achieves a record volume.
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According to Port figures, 2018 import cargo volume rose by 5%, while exports reduced 3.5%. Moreover, the volume of empty containers returned to origin destinations for future import loads were up by 19.7%.
In addition, the Port noted that multiple influences were at work in 2018 shaping cargo flows, including:
- A China-U.S. trade dispute that prompted shippers to accelerate import orders ahead of anticipated tariffs;
- A strong dollar that made U.S. exports costlier overseas;
- A buildup of empty containers in the U.S. that required repositioning to Asia because of the import surge.
Commenting on these results, Port of Oakland Maritime Director, John Driscoll, stated:
Last year was the busiest one ever at the Port for a variety of reasons. Our objective now is to build on this performance to grow import and export volume
The Port of Oakland loads and discharges over 99% of the containerized goods moving through Northern California and is the seventh busiest container port in the US.
In 2016, around 77% of Oakland’s trade was with Asia, while Europe accounted for 12%. Furthermore, Australia/New Zealand and Oceania accounted for about 2%, and other foreign economies about 1%.
