In February, the Port of Charleston, South Carolina experienced its 12th consecutive month of year-over-year growth as container volume increased nearly 11 percent compared to February 2012 with 131,634 20-foot equivalent units (TUEs) handled last month.
February container volume in TEUs was nearly 21 percent higher than the same month two years ago, and loaded container volume saw the strongest month since October 2008. Container volume for the first eight months of the fiscal year are up more than 11 percent to 1,024,121 TEUs handled from July to February, up from 920,547 TEUs during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, containerized imports and exports through the Port of Tacoma saw double-digit growth last month, pushing container volumes up 47 percent over February 2012.
Full containerized imports posted the most dramatic increase with a 62 percent gain year to date to 114,176 TEUs. Exports rose 41 percent to 81,567 TEUs.
The surge in international container volumes reflects shippers preparing for Lunar New Year, when factories in several Asian countries that export to the US close their doors for one to two weeks. Domestic container volumes improved 6.5 percent to 63,829 TEUs. Through the second month of the year, Tacoma's total container volume reached 298,134 TEUs, an increase of 41 percent.
Breakbulk volumes, however, saw their first dip in more than two years. Fewer breakbulk vessels calling Tacoma this February compared to February 2012 resulted in the 18 percent decline. Still, auto imports continued to grow, up 18 percent to 26,040 units.
