OAKLAND PORT MILESTONE BUCKS FEARS OVER TRADE
Shipping facility sees best August in nearly 100 years
The Port of Oakland on Thursday reported the busiest August in its 91-year history, a record start to its peak season with imports up 9.2 percent from a year ago.
The Port, the third largest in California and among the nation’s top 10, attributed the gains to strong U.S. consumer spending.
“We’re encouraged by the solid start to peak season, but there’s still uncertainty in the trade environment,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “Let’s see what the next few months bring.”
The Port handled an August record equivalent of 85,166 loaded 20-foot import containers last month, signaling a strong start to the shipping season that builds through October when U. S. retailers stock their shelves for holiday merchandising.
The previous record for August imports was 82,492 containers set in 2015. The 20- foot import container equivalent is a shipping industry benchmark.
Export volume, roughly half the Port of Oakland’s business, fell a bit last month, dropping 3.7 percent, Driscoll said. The main reason is that wastepaper exports to China have dropped because that country has re- duced its demand over concerns about too much garbage mixed with the wastepaper coming out of the U.S., Driscoll said. The strong U.S. dollar also has softened exports, he said.
But overall, for the first eight months of 2018, Oakland’s total cargo volume — which includes imports, ex- ports, and empty containers — is up 3.3 percent. If the trend holds, the Port would break its all-time cargo volume record for the third consecutive year.
The strong August imports come after an overall solid summer, with import volume in June hitting a re-
cord equivalent of 87,207 20-foot import containers, beating the Port’s previous monthly record of 84,835 containers set last July. June import volume was up 8.7 percent over June 2017, the port said.
At the time, there was much speculation that shippers were rushing to beat import and ex- port tariffs in a budding “trade war” spurred by the Trump administration over concerns about unfair trade practices.
Driscoll said efforts to get ahead of tariffs, most of which took effect in July, were undoubtedly a factor but that “I attribute it mostly to the economy.”
The Port of Los Angeles, America’s busiest, on Wednesday reported that it processed 826,638 20foot equivalent containers in August. That rep- resented a 2.5 percent dip from August 2017, which was the Port’s busiest August ever, but was the second- strongest August in the Port’s history and the sixth busiest month ever at the Port of Los Angeles.
August 2018 imports to Los Angeles decreased 2.8 percent to 420,573 20foot equivalent containers compared to the previous year, and exports increased 2 percent to 162,466 20-foot equivalent containers, while empty containers fell 4.9 percent to 243,600 20-foot equivalent containers.
Eight months into 2018, overall volumes at Los Angeles have decreased 2.6 percent to 6 million 20- foot equivalent containers compared to 2017 when the Port set an alltime cargo record.
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and nearly 20 miles of waterfront including Jack London Square, and supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States.
Port spokeswomanMarilyn Sandifur said the import surge is good news for many workers in the region.
“Hundreds of thousands of jobs are impacted by what happens at the seaport,” Sandifur said.