The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), comprised of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, said that it has recorded the strongest first quarter international container volumes since 2005, which was a record-breaking year for the ports.
From January to March 2017, NWSA’s full imports reached 351,607 TEUs, up more than 13 percent compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, full exports grew by 6 percent to 247,186 TEUs.
Total international containers, including empties, increased more than 13 percent year to date.
What is more, total domestic and international container volumes increased by more than 14 percent for the month of March, and year-to-date volumes were up 10 percent, the ports’ data shows.
March international container volumes stood at 120,018 TEUs, growing almost 26 percent compared to the same month last year.
At 99,603 TEUs, full exports were up more than 9 percent in March, making it the strongest month for exports this year, the alliance added.
The alliance’s international TEU volumes, including empties, increased by almost 21 percent compared to March 2016.
However, total domestic volumes for the month declined more than 8 percent compared to March 2016.