Voyage consistency, increased vessel calls, and low import rail dwells continue to drive strong container volumes at the gateway. In May 2024, container volumes reached 277,388 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), marking a 20.6% increase over May 2023.
International Trade Growth
Full international exports have seen a steady nine-month growth streak, increasing 20.8% over May 2023. Full international imports also saw a significant rise, increasing by 32.5%, leading to a total international volume increase of 30.5%.
Year-to-Date Performance
Year-to-date, the gateway has handled 1,235,446 TEUs, an 8.2% increase compared to the previous year. Full imports have grown by 12.5%, and full exports by 20.8%.
New Shipping Services Launch
COSCO Shipping Lines and OOCL have introduced a new China–West Coast North America service, calling at Seattle (North) Harbor. The service, known as COSCO’s China Pacific Northwest Vancouver (CPV) and OOCL’s Pacific Northwest 5 (PNW5), will operate with six vessels ranging from 4,250 to 7,100 TEUs. The full rotation includes Ningbo, Shanghai, Vancouver, Seattle, Lianyungang, and back to Ningbo.
Domestic Container Volume Changes
Domestic container volumes have risen 1.6% year-to-date in 2024 compared to 2023. Alaska volumes increased by 4.7%, while Hawaii volumes decreased by 12.6%.
Additional Cargo Statistics
- Breakbulk Volume: Increased by 1.6%, reaching 197,683 metric tons year-to-date.
- Auto Volumes: Reached 143,032 units, up 8.3% year-to-date.
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Source: Northwest Seaport Alliance
