THE Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) announced that container volumes at NWSA reached 234,875 TEU in July, with overall container volume declining 9.9 per cent from July 2022.

Full month imports climbed by 0.2 per cent, while full month exports declined by 7.6 per cent, reports London's Port Technolgy.

Total TEU fell 21.2 per cent year on year to 1.6 million TEU, with total imports and exports down 25.7 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively.

Domestic container volume decreased 2.4 per cent year-to-date (YTD) 2023 compared to YTD 2022. Alaska volumes increased 0.5 per cent, and Hawaii volumes declined 14.6 per cent.

In addition, breakbulk volume decreased 10.3 per cent for 253,128 metric tonnes YTD. Due to high container freight rates and lack of availability on container vessels last year, some cargo shifted to Ro-Ro vessels.

As container rates are cooling and service level has returned, NWSA said cargo is transitioning back. Auto volumes were 187,615 units, up 121.6 per cent.

In July 2023, NWSA announced its highest monthly container throughput for the year in June, posting 252,232 TEU.