Tacoma traffic continues to post gains through October

The Port of Tacoma's international container volumes grew 18% year to date through October.

Full import containers improved 17% to 574,322 TEU on the year, while exports were up 19% to 429,531 TEU. Domestic volumes continued to lag, down 1% to 379,697 TEU.

Despite the year-to-date gains, container volumes for the month fell 6% compared to October 2012. Due to financial struggles in the industry, carriers continue to explore the right mix of cargo and vessel size for the Pacific Northwest. Container volume growth in the trans-Pacific trade is expected to be flat through the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, grain exports were down 57% due to last year's severe drought in the U.S. Midwest and increased competition from the southern hemisphere. October volumes showed the first improvement of the year and the volume of ships in Commencement Bay hint at a substantial rebound. < Korea Shipping Gazette >