OAKLAND: July was the busiest month for the Port Of Oakland in the last 10 years, port officials said Monday. Last month the port handled the equivalent of 223,619 20-foot cargo containers – the most since it handled 227,996 20-foot containers in August 2006. Cargo volume has gone up across the board and may signal a spike the upcoming peak shipping season, port officials said.
“These numbers are encouraging and with holiday shipments set to commence, this could be the start of something good,” Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll said in a statement. In addition to volume increases, the port also saw growth in other areas in July, including total container volume, which jumped 8.8 percent compared to July 2015, according to port officials.
Export volume increased for the sixth time in seven months, confirming Oakland’s status as a leading gateway to Asia, port officials said. Empty container volume also went up in July as shipping lines repositioned boxes to prepare for an anticipated uptick in peak season cargo, according to port officials.
