The Port of Oakland handled 185,499 TEUs in April, marking a 14.7 per cent decrease from March 2025.
The decline is attributed to market uncertainty and weakened export demand, both influenced by recent changes in US trade policy.
However, year-to-date (YTD) volume for 2025 reached 787,028 TEUs, reflecting a 4.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
In April 2025, the Port of Oakland handled 78,965 TEUs in imports, up 4.8 per cent from April 2024 but down 10.2 per cent from March.
The March increase of 9.1 per cent over February, which brought imports to 87,896 TEUs, was driven by the anticipation of new tariffs.
With 45 per cent of Oakland’s imports from China, the announcement and implementation of new duties in April are expected to impact imports more significantly in May.
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Exports fell 4.2 per cent year-over-year (YoY), totalling 64,723 TEUs in April 2025, down from 67,566 TEUs in April 2024.
Loaded exports also dropped 15 per cent from March, largely due to market uncertainty.
Empty container volumes decreased as well. Empty imports dropped 11.7 per cent year-over-year (YoY) and 22 per cent from March, with 14,438 TEUs processed in April 2025, compared to 16,351 TEUs in April 2024.
Empty exports fell by 6.8 per cent, with 27,374 TEUs handled in April 2025, down from 29,375 TEUs in April 2024. These declines reflect strategic repositioning to better balance cargo flows.
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Port of Oakland Maritime Director, Bryan Brandes, said: “Container volume remained stable during the first four months of 2025; however, uncertainty and high tariffs impacted our China volume. We anticipate similar volume in May with a strong recovery in June.
“The port remains focused on service reliability, and close coordination with our partners and customers, as market dynamics continue to evolve.”
