Seattle Containers Boom in December

The Port of Seattle reported blockbuster results in container traffic for December, with imports growing 32.6 percent and exports doubling even as other Pacific Northwest ports still showed the effects of the global downturn.

Tacoma and Portland were still struggling to emerge from their year-long trade slump, according to container volumes posted on the ports' websites.

Containerized imports in Seattle increased 32.6 percent compared to December 2008, and exports were up 103 percent. Seattle's total container volume, including empties, was 29.3 percent higher than in December 2008.

Seattle's fortunes last year turned around sooner than many U.S. ports. Imports turned positive in August, compared to August of 2008, and the year-over-year imports remained higher each month through December. Exports at Seattle were up each month from July through the end of the year.

Maersk Line and CMA CGM last year started a new service to Seattle. Hanjin Shipping reinstated a Seattle call in one of its trans-Pacific services. Also, some of the carriers increased the size of their vessels in 2009, said port spokesman Mick Shultz. Carriers made 14 ad hoc calls with large vessels, primarily to pick up or drop off empty containers, Shultz said.

Tacoma's containerized imports and exports on a year-over-year basis were lower almost every month in 2009 compared to 2008. Imports in December were down 30 percent compared to December 2008, although exports were down only 4 percent.

Imports and exports at Portland were also down each month in 2009 compared to the same months in 2008. Exports declined 19 percent in December from December 2008, while imports last month were down only 0.8 percent.

For the calendar year, Seattle's total container volume dropped 7.1 percent compared to 2008. Tacoma's total container volume was down 16.9 percent and Portland's total container volume was down 29 percent from 2008.

Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bmongelluzzo@joc.com.