Imports fell 2.9 percent to 402,320 TEUs and exports dropped 11 percent to 130,769 TEUs year over year. This represents the 11th consecutive monthly decline of exports. Meanwhile, empty containers rose 2.9 percent to 246,814 TEUs.
These numbers are compared against a record breaking 2018 and an all-time record for September.
“The ill-advised U.S.-China trade war continues to wreak havoc on American exporters and manufacturers,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “We’ve seen declining exports for 11 consecutive months while our fastest growing market segment is exporting empty containers back to Asia. It’s likely we’ll see softer volumes in the fourth quarter. We must have a negotiated settlement of the trade war as it is beginning to affect the more than 3 million jobs in the US that are tied to this port complex.”
