Oakland’s June cargo volume down 1.5%

Cargo volume through the Port of Oakland was down 1.5% in June compared to a year earlier, port officials said this week, citing West Coast bottlenecks and a lack of regional warehouse space as some of the supply chain issues that continue to affect growth.

The port handled 163,757 loaded twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month compared to 166,252 in June 2021. The total volume, including empties, was down 2.9%.

Loaded imports were up slightly, with 95,530 TEUs last month compared to 95,060 in June 2021. The increase in imports was offset by a drop in loaded exports, which came in at 68,227 TEUs in June compared to 71,192 TEUs in the year-ago period. This represents a 4.2% decline, reflecting “ongoing challenges with vessel schedule disruptions and lack of sufficient capacity on departing ships at Oakland for full exports,” officials said.

“Despite prolonged supply chain challenges, so far we are maintaining our import volume,”  Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said in a press release. “We’re continuing to encourage ocean carriers to restore routes that will help expand vessel capacity for our exporters.”

Other supply chain challenges affecting Oakland’s volume in June included port congestion in Asia linked to Covid-19 restrictions and import dwell times that are causing increased congestion at the port.

The June data does not reflect recent disruptions due to truck driver protests at the port. The protests halted operations for several days, and it will “likely take weeks to sort out” the effects of the slowdown, officials also said.