Port of Oakland Monthly Cargo Numbers Drop

Port of Oakland
Port of Oakland
Aerial view of the Port of Oakland inner harbor with the San Francisco skyline in the background. Photo: Oakland seaport.

Overall cargo volumes fell at the Port of Oakland in June compared to the same time a year ago, according to new data released by the port July 28.

The Northern California seaport processed 163,757 loaded TEUs in June, 1.5% less than the 166,252 TEUs recorded in June 2021. With empties factored in, total volume dropped 2.9% year over year, data show.

The port did see a slight 0.5% uptick in import volumes with 95,530 TEUs last month, but the increase was countered by the 4.2% drop in loaded exports. In June, the port handled 68,227 TEUs in loaded exports in June, down from 71,192 TEUs in June 2021.

Port officials are attributing the 4.2% drop to ongoing disruption in vessel schedules and not enough capacity on vessels leaving Oakland for full exports.

“Despite prolonged supply chain challenges, so far we are maintaining our import volume,” port Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said. “We’re continuing to encourage ocean carriers to restore routes that will help expand vessel capacity for our exporters.”

Meanwhile, supply chain challenges continue to hamper Oakland’s cargo growth, including older imports lingering at terminals, port bottlenecks in Asia caused by COVID-19 restrictions and not enough space to meet Western regional warehouse demand, according to the port.

By Karen Robes Meeks