Tacoma first 5 months off 14pc from pre-downturn levels

LAST year might not have been the bottom for cargo volumes at the Port of Tacoma, reports the Tacoma News Tribune.

Figures from this year's first five months show cargo volume fell below that of the same period in 2009, port officials told harbour commissioners, adding that it could be five to eight years before trade reaches pre-recession levels.

Small comfort was offered with indications that second half results might be better, Tacoma container chief Brendan Dugan told the commissioners because two major customers, K Line and Evergreen, are restoring some service and using larger ships. The port also has begun exporting logs again, he said.

But overall figures show total container units handled by the port through the end of May totalled 556,509 TEU, a 14.5 per cent drop from the first five months of 2009.

The drop was attributed to Maersk's move to Seattle last year after it consolidated some of its services with CMA CGM's, which was already lodged in Seattle.

But even without the effect of the Maersk move, volumes would have been down, said Mr Dugan. Tacoma container volumes were down 16.9 per cent in 2009 and business continued to fall in 2010. Container volumes totalled 125,527 TEU in May, for instance. A year earlier, the container numbers were 144,320 TEU, statistics show.

Meanwhile, at Seattle May container volumes, bolstered by Maersk's arrival, were up 57.4 per cent. At the Long Beach, container traffic was up four per cent in May. In Los Angeles, it was up 19.94 per cent.

Tacoma ro-ro imports fell 10.6 per cent to 61,100 vehicles through May this year compared with 68,381 through May last year.

Grain exports were off 5.1 per cent through the year's fifth month as a wet spring kept volumes down. Break-bulk cargo also was down with 33,384 tons handled through May, a 21.2 per cent drop from 2009's figure through May.

In 2007, the Tacoma handled 1,924,934 TEU. By last year, that volume had dropped to 1,545,855 TEU.
(Source:www.schednet.com)