The Northwest Seaport Alliance handled 247,675 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in April 2020 as total container volumes declined 23.5% year over year. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the global supply chain. Compared to April 2019, full imports declined 13.9% while full exports decreased 17.6%.

During the first four months of 2020, the NWSA handled 1,036,556 TEUs. Our gateway experienced a total of 39 void sailings through April, driven by the lingering trade dispute with China and the global coronavirus pandemic. As a result, total container cargo volumes are down 17.5% year to date.

Our total year-to-date domestic container volumes dipped 2.7%. Alaska and Hawaii volumes declined 2.5% and 4%, respectively.

As seaports play a critical role in supporting the nation’s economic recovery, all marine cargo terminals in Seattle and Tacoma remain open and operational. We continue to work closely with our terminal operators, labor, warehouse companies and supply chain partners on customized COVID-19 solutions to ensure the gateway operates at a high level.

Other cargo highlights:

• Breakbulk cargo volumes were down 0.9% year over year to 90,010 metric tons.
• NWSA auto volumes year to date were 46,224 units, down 7.8% year over year.

View the April 2020 cargo reports:

• Container volumes – April 2020
• Cargo statistics – April 2020