West Coast Ports Took Lowest Share of US Container Imports Since 1980s in August

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday September 27, 2022

Ports on the west coast of the US took the lowest share of the country's total container imports since the early 1980s last month.

US West Coast ports took just 45% of the imports total in August, the lowest level since at least the early 1980s, logistics news provider FreightWaves reported last week, citing data from McCown Container Volume Observer.

The share is down from 54% in February 2021.

Container imports to the top US West Coast ports totalled 978,844 TEU in August, down by 11.5% on the year. Meanwhile, imports to the top US East and Gulf Coast ports were at 1.2 million TEU last month, up by 12% on the year, according to the report.

The container markets have been in turmoil in recent weeks, with abnormal strength during the COVID-19 era shifting into a rapid downturn in the face of expectations of global recession.

Container ships are the largest consumers of bunker fuel by shipping segment.