NWSA container imports break record for February

February imports reached an all-time high for the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) in its latest cargo throughput announcement.

NWSA February volumes increased 11.1 per cent to 298,046 TEU.

Full imports grew 21.4 per cent and full exports declined 24.2 per cent year-over-year.

February 2022 full imports reached an all-time high for the month because of continued strong consumer demand and retail inventory restocking, NWSA wrote.

Year-to-date (YTD) volumes improved 2.3 per cent to 570,328 TEU, with full imports growing 9.7 per cent and full exports declining 30 per cent.

Domestic volumes increased 1 per cent compared to YTD February 2021.

Alaska volumes increased 0.6 per cent while Hawaii volumes grew 2.4 per cent.

The NWSA welcomed the first all-electric cargo equipment at the Tacoma Harbor’s South Intermodal Yard. The six yard trucks—outfitted with zero-emission technology—will be used to move containers on chassis between container stacks and rail cars.

The NWSA saw its January 2022 container volumes drop by 5.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2021.