NWSA Handles Record-Breaking International Container Volumes In First quarter

The Northwest Seaport Alliance handled a record-breaking 775,522 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for total international container volumes in the first quarter of 2019, a 12 percent increase over the same period last year. Total volumes from January through March equaled 932,288 TEUs and are up 11.1 percent, the second-highest first-quarter performance ever.

Total container volumes for March reached 336,828 TEUs, a 11.3 percent increase from last year, with import and export volumes growing 16.7 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively. At their April meeting, NWSA’s Managing Members voted to approve lease agreements and authorize construction on Terminal 5 in Seattle.

Once completed, the 185-acre terminal will be able to handle the ultra-large container vessels increasingly calling at West Coast ports. The deal, including future phase 2 commitment, represents approximately a half-billion dollars of private and public investment in the region’s economy.

The NWSA also received four additional super-post-Panamax container cranes in March, capping a $266 million project that will allow two 18,000-TEU vessels to dock simultaneously at Husky Terminal in Tacoma. Total domestic volumes for March increased 6.4 percent to 60,444 TEUs compared to March 2018, marking the third consecutive month of domestic cargo growth. Alaska’s year-to-date volumes were up 6.2 percent following an unusually robust January.  

< Korea Shipping Gazette >