Port of Oakland has announced its volumes for March 2015. It stated that containerized trade rebounded at the Port of Oakland with a 6.4% year-on-year increase in cargo volume, representing a turnaround after two months of decline. Sequentially between February and March volume grew by 133.90% to 84,023.
“We’re moving in the right direction again,” said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll. “But we’ve still got plenty of work to do to make up for a slow start to the year.” The port stated that increased volume signals the end to trade slowdowns resulting from recent cargo backlogs at US west coast marine terminals.
Oakland’s March imports increased 39% over 2014 totals while exports declined 16%. The decline in exports was primarily attributed to the strong US dollar, which made American goods less affordable overseas. Exports were also constrained by vessels bypassing Oakland to recover time lost at congested southern California ports. Those ships are now returning to Oakland, providing additional capacity for overseas cargo.
For more information on US west coast ports and to see the effect of the resolution to the crisis please take a look at the Ti Dashboard US: West Coast Ports chart.
