The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) has reported continued strong container volumes in April, with container volumes reaching 258,688 TEU.
The data represents an 11.3 per cent jump over April 2023.
In April 2024, full international exports surged by 15.6 per cent compared to the year prior, while full international imports grew by 13.5 per cent. This led to a total international volume increase of 12.7 per cent.
Year-to-date (YTD), the NWSA’s container volumes have climbed by 5 per cent, totalling 958,069 TEU. This growth includes a 7.7 per cent increase in full imports and a substantial 15 per cent rise in full exports.
A significant milestone for the NWSA was the completion of Phase 2 of the Terminal 5 Modernisation Project. This project, which began in July 2019, was financed by a joint investment exceeding half a billion dollars from the NWSA, SSA Terminals, and Terminal Investment Ltd.
Terminal 5 now features 185 acres of cargo capacity and is equipped to handle ultra-large vessels. Enhancements include two reconfigured berths and six state-of-the-art super-post Panamax cranes aimed at boosting operational efficiency.
The addition of on-dock rail at Terminal 5 is expected to benefit agricultural exporters and reduce truck traffic, with plans for additional refrigerated plug-ins in the future.
Domestic container volumes have also shown mixed results. YTD domestic volumes in 2024 increased by 3.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. Specifically, Alaska’s volumes rose by 6.6 per cent, while Hawaii’s volumes declined by 11.1 per cent.
Last month, the NWSA established a comprehensive cargo and service incentive programme to increase international container rail freight volumes and improve service delivery in the Seattle and Tacoma harbours.