Port of Oakland Says July Was Busiest Month in Last 10 years

Volume up across the board, exports on the rise again; good peak season omen?

July was the busiest month in 10 years at the Port of Oakland.  The Port said today it handled the equivalent of 223,619 20-foot cargo containers last month. That was the most since it lifted 227,996 20-foot containers in August of 2006.

The Port said cargo volume was up across the board, perhaps signaling hope for the upcoming peak shipping season. “The numbers are encouraging and with holiday shipments set to commence, this could be the start of something good,” said Maritime Director John Driscoll.

Among the positive signs last month in Oakland:

•Total container volume jumped 8.8 percent from July of 2015;

•Export volume, up 3.6 percent, increased for the sixth time in seven months, strengthening Oakland's status as a leading gateway to Asia; and

•Empty container volume rose as shipping lines repositioned boxes to prepare for an anticipated uptick in peak-season cargo.

The Port’s total cargo volume is up 6.4 percent through the first seven months of 2016.  Exports are up 9.1 percent in that span and imports have risen 8.6 percent.