Port of Oakland loaded imports up 11 percent in Dec. 2020

Oakland, Calif. – January 13, 2021: The Port of Oakland today said December imports grew 11 percent compared to December 2019. Containerized export volume was up 0.9 percent during the same period. Total TEUs for December were 208,341 which is up 7.4 percent compared to the same time last year.

The Port said it expected the increase in December's imports when it saw November imports had decreased. Delays at the Southern California ports have affected the West Coast supply chain therefore impacting Oakland.

“We anticipated that some of November’s cargo would spill into December,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “The Port’s growing import volume in 2020 is a trend that began in June and it remains to be seen how long this trend will continue.”

The Port attributes the ongoing import demand to an e-commerce boom. Many high and middle-income Bay Area residents are continuing to shop online instead of spending money on travel, services and social events.

Overall, the Port’s total container volume was flat throughout 2020. Total TEUs (twenty-foot containers) were 2.46 million which is down 1.6 percent compared to 2.5 million in 2019. The Port said this was due primarily to factory shutdowns in China earlier this year and Asia exporters affected by pandemic restrictions. The Port also pointed to lower demand as local businesses and consumers adjusted to regional shutdowns.