Port of Oakland June volume down 1.5 percent from prior year

Jul 29, 2022

Loaded imports up 0.5 percent, setting a new high

The Port of Oakland’s total loaded container volume in June was down 1.5% compared to June 2021. The Port handled 163,757 loaded TEUs (twenty-foot containers) last month compared to 166,252 in June 2021. The total volume, including empties, was down 2.9%.

Loaded import volume continues to rise. Loaded imports were slightly up with 95,530 TEUs last month compared to 95,060 in June 2021. That’s a 0.5% increase. The trend sets an import volume record.

The increase in imports was offset by a drop in loaded exports. Loaded export containers came in at 68,227 TEUs in June compared to 71,192 TEUs in June 2021. 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.

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

	Full			Empty			Grand Total
	Import	Export	Total	Import	Export	Total	Grand Total
Jan-22	83,860	61,704	145,564	11,866	35,775	47,641	193,205
Feb-22	85,286	62,334	147,620	14,633	32,135	46,768	194,388
Mar-22	94,271	69,878	164,148	13,479	36,832	50,310	214,459
Apr-22	84,303	65,834	150,137	17,993	20,365	38,358	188,495
May-22	98,789	75,067	173,857	15,254	35,188	50,442	224,299
Jun-22	95,530	68,227	163,757	11,788	40,408	52,196	215,952

Supply chain issues are still dampening total cargo volume growth at Oakland including:

Port congestion in Asia linked to COVID restrictions
Import dwell time causing congestion
Continued U.S. West Coast supply chain bottlenecks in all modes of transportation
Lack of capacity to meet demand at Western regional warehouses

Summer and early fall are usually the busy times for imports as retailers order inventory for the school year and winter holidays.

These cargo statistics do not reflect the recent protest disruptions at the Oakland Seaport which halted operations for several days. The operational impacts will likely take weeks to sort out.