Container traffic moving through West Coast ports increased 3 percent in November compared to November 2008, marking the first monthly year-over-year increase in 2009. Total imports and exports in November were also up 1 percent over October traffic, although the volume was down 1 percent from the peak month in August, according to statistics published by the Pacific Maritime Association. The recovery in November was led by exports, with containerized exports from West Coast ports up 22 percent compared to the same month in 2008. … The 11-month cumulative numbers show that the trade recession is gradually easing after a difficult year.
