The Port of Oakland reported a 6.8% drop in its container volumes in November, handling 132,648 TEUs.
Full imports rose 3.8% year-on-year, with 71,258 TEUs passing through Oakland port facilities this November. On the other hand, full exports declined by 3% to 61,390 TEUs. At the same time, empty imports experienced a drop of 0.6%, with 14,118 TEUs, while empty exports experienced a significant 49% decrease, with 19,613 TEUs moving through the US port.
“We saw some canceled sailings in November as evidenced by the dip in vessel calls last month,” stated Port of Oakland maritime director, Bryan Brandes. “This caused our volumes to drop.”
This year the Californian port did not see the usual spike in import cargo volumes during late summer and the fall.
“Consumers continue to spend, and our local economy is growing, so the lack of an upswing in cargo volume is likely because retailers are working through excess inventory,” commented Brandes.
He added, “Meanwhile, we’ve been investing and implementing projects that will improve the efficiency of our maritime operations. This puts us in an excellent position to handle more cargo.”