Port of Oakland container volume declines in June

Port of Oakland June container volume declined, as shippers and carriers adjust to softening demand and ongoing tariff uncertainty. The Port handled 168,460 TEUs (twenty-foot containers), down 10.1% from May, and 12.8% from June 2024, when 193,158 TEUs passed through Port facilities.

“This is not a seasonal dip, but a market recalibration,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “Importers and exporters are adjusting their supply chain timing and routing decisions in response to evolving conditions.”

Despite June’s decline, year-to-date container volume remains higher than the same period last year. Total volume registered 1.14 million TEUs, marking a 0.6% increase over June 2024. Loaded imports were up 1.5%, while loaded exports experienced a 1.3% decrease.

Loaded imports totaled 70,334 TEUs, marking an 11.3% decline from May, and a 16.3% drop from June 2024, when 84,040 TEUs transited Port facilities. Importers are responding to shifting trade policy and moderating consumer demand.

Loaded exports registered 59,593 TEUs, marking an 11.5% month-over-month decline, and a 10.3% decrease from June 2024, when the Port handled 66,424 TEUs. This decrease can also be attributed to continued weakness in global markets.

Empty imports—containers received empty—rose a modest 0.6%, with 10,400 TEUs handled by the Port this June, compared to 10,337 TEUs in June 2024. In contrast, empty exports—containers shipped empty—declined 13.1%, handling 28,133 TEUs in June 2025, versus 32,356 TEUs in June 2024.

The Port reported 77 vessel calls this June, down from 87 in May and 86 in June 2024. But average TEUs per vessel increased 1.6% from May, as carriers consolidate freight volume across fewer sailings. Carriers are aligning service schedules, resulting in fewer sailings, fuller ships and volume patterns that mirror the broader hesitancy in global trade.