The Port of Oakland reached a milestone in April, setting an all-time cargo record and handling more than 100,000 import containers in a single month for the first time in the port’s history, officials said today.
Overall volume through the port rose 8% in April, and imports climbed 25% year-over-year to 100,096 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs). Officials said the U.S. economic rebound and a resulting demand for Asian imports is driving the strong results.
“We’re sounding like a broken record, but containerized trade continues to flourish as the U.S. economy rebounds,” Port Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said in a statement. “And as we’ve said before, there doesn’t seem to be a letup in sight.”
April marked the third consecutive month of import gains, and the second straight record month; import volume year-to-date has increased 19%, officials said.
Export volume fell 3.7% compared to a year ago, driven partly by demand for empty containers. Shipping lines sent large numbers of empties from the United States to Asia to meet import demand; those empty containers took vessel space from U.S. exports intended for Asian markets, port officials said.
Port of Oakland sets all-time cargo record
Driven by strong consumer demand, imports rose 25% in April and exceeded the 100,000 container mark for the first time in a single month, officials report.
