Oakland port sees import surge
The seaport in Oakland, Calif., saw an increase in import cargo following a decline at the end of January of 2021.
By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent
OAKLAND — The Port of Oakland’s seaport operations saw an unprecedented containerized import surge in February, following a decline in cargo in January. The port authority said that import volume soared to 26.2 percent in February, year-over-year in 2020.
Oakland also welcomed the news after supply chain disruptions elsewhere, which drove the January import totals down 12 percent.
“It’s what we expected,” said Bryan Brandes, the maritime director for the port authority. “Oakland continues to benefit from an unrelenting trade boom. We also completed the assembly of three new giant cranes, which will further improve efficiency.”
According to a press statement, the port has handled 80,200 20-foot import containers in February. In fact, the port said that this was the busiest February for import cargo volumes in its 94-year history. The port also said it loaded 69,588 export containers onto outbound vessels. This was an 11 percent in decline from February of 2020 export totals, notes data.
Port of Oakland also explained that scarce vessel space hindered exporters attempting to ship cargo overseas, reports the American Journal of Transportation.
