April was the Port's best month ever for imports in its 91-year history

Oakland, Calif. - The Port of Oakland’s total cargo volume is up 2.9 percent over the same period a year ago. The Port today reported that terminals handled 791,371 TEUs between January to April 2018. A TEU is the equivalent of one container that is 20 feet long. During the same period in 2017, the volume was 768,789 TEUs. Total volume includes loaded and empty containers.

April 2018 was the Port’s best month ever for imports in its 90-year history. The volume for loaded imports was 75,369 TEUs. The previous record was in April 2006 at 75,243 loaded imports.

“These container statistics show that we are off to a solid start in 2018,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “We’re on track for steady growth in our cargo volumes for the rest of the year.”

When comparing loaded import and export container volumes for the first four months of 2018, the data shows a 1.2 and 0.5 percent growth respectively. Growth in exports was hampered by the negative effects of China’s stringent rules on recycled materials. However, the Port’s meat, fruits and vegetable exports helped offset the loss in recycled commodities.