The Northwest Seaport Alliance recorded a 12.6 per cent rise in total container volumes in September 2025 compared to August.
However, volumes were down 13.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY), impacted by tariffs and inflated 2024 figures due to Canadian labour disruptions.
In September 2025, total container volume through the gateway (international and domestic) reached 289,120 TEUs.
Ongoing tariffs continue to weigh on container traffic, while the YoY decline partly reflects elevated volumes from Canada in September 2024 during labour disruptions.
Full international imports fell 22 per cent YoY, while exports declined 1.2 per cent.
Year-to-date (YTD) volumes totalled 2.43 million TEUs, down 1.7 per cent overall, with full imports down 5.7 per cent and full exports down 2.9 per cent.
Ocean carrier schedule reliability at the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) continued to improve.
In Q3 2025, vessels arrived an average of only two days behind schedule—the gateway’s best performance in five years.
Domestic container volumes rose 1.5 per cent compared to YTD 2024. Alaska volumes edged up 0.2 per cent, while Hawaii volumes grew 9.2 per cent.
Container volumes through NWSA softened in August, as international trade flows continued to reflect broader economic and policy headwinds.