The Port of Oakland has reported a 28 per cent year-on-year drop in volumes at its terminals as congestion and strike action have hindered operations.
In July, the port moved 116,629 TEU compared to 162,898 in July 2021.
Loaded imports were down by 26.7 per cent recording 69,463 TEU last month compared to 94,745 the year prior.
Loaded export containers witnessed a 30.8 per cent decline, with 47,166 TEU transiting through the port in July compared to 68,153 TEU in the same period last year.
“The Port was closed nearly a week last month due to the trucker protests voicing concern over AB5,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director, Bryan Brandes.
“This congestion reduced our overall July volume.”
Full imports in 2022 year-to-date were down 4 per cent compared to the first 7 months of 2021.
The Port of Oakland was experiencing on-going supply chain issues which had been exacerbated by a week-long walkout by independent truckers protesting the state law AB5.
On top of global supply chain hurdles and increasing congestion, protests have severely disrupted operations, slowing the unloading of inbound ships, and delaying imports from leaving the terminals.
READ: FMC mulls emergency measures to alleviate congestion
The port has estimated that it could take a month before the port traffic will recover from the protests. Additionally, rates charged to ship containers from Asia to the US continued to decline pointing to a possible decrease in demand for imports.
The Port handled 163,757 loaded TEU in June compared to 166,252 in June 2021. The total volume, including empties, was down 2.9 per cent.
