Port of Oakland Increases Cargo Volume

The amount of cargo on container ships that come into the Port of Oakland increased in April for the second straight month, port officials said today.

A slowdown during a six-month labor dispute at 29 West Coast ports had caused cargo volume, which includes imports, exports and empty containers, at the Port of Oakland to decrease by 30 percent in January and 31 percent in February compared to the same months in 2014.

But after a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract was reached on Feb. 20, cargo volume increased by 8.1 percent in March and by 1.7 percent in April compared to the same time last year, according to port officials.

Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said in a statement, “We’re moving out of the slack winter season and working to gain momentum. We want to drive additional cargo through Oakland as the peak shipping season arrives.”

The dispute was between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents 20,000 workers on the West Coast, and the Pacific maritime Association, which represents shipping companies.

ILWU members will vote on the tentative agreement in secret ballots that will be counted on May 22.

Port of Oakland officials said import business continued to rebound in April, with the volume of loaded import containers it handled increasing by 3.1 percent compared to the same month in 2014. That followed a 39.4 percent increase in March.

However, port officials said export cargo declined by 12.9 percent in April compared to the same time last year.

They attributed the decline to the continued strength of the U.S. dollar, saying that the strong dollar has made American goods costlier overseas and contributed to a widening U.S. trade gap.

--Bay City News; Image via Wikimedia

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