Containerized import volume was up for a seventh-straight month at the Port of Oakland in September. The Port said this week that it handled 1.6 percent more containerized imports last month than it did a year ago.
The import rally has erased a wintertime decline in Oakland. The Port said import totals for the first nine months of 2015 are now even with last year. That’s a significant turnaround from January and February when import volume dropped nearly 40 percent.
Overall containerized cargo volume – imports, exports and empty containers – declined 4.8 percent in September, the Port said. A 12.6 percent drop in exports contributed to the decrease. The Port said two factors dampened export volume:
- Continued strength in the U.S. dollar which makes American goods more expensive overseas; and
- The economic slowdown in China which has curbed its demand for foreign commodities.