09-10. SepOct 2022 issue.qxp_Pages-12-40-JanFeb WPD 20/10/2022 20:23 Page 3
port survey
west coast
Exciting times for West Coast ports Claire Instone delivers WPD’s annual port survey on U.S. West Coast ports.
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aking a look at last year’s cargo statistics for the biggest ports on the U.S. West Coast shows universal positive results. The Port of Oakland hit a new import record in 2021, while volumes at NWSA improved, with the Port of Long Beach ending the year with a 15.7% increase in container volume. Moreover, the Port of Los Angeles broke a new record for cargo throughput in 2021, processing more volume than any other port in the Western Hemisphere. Not to mention, San Diego is experiencing a period of growth and is in a position to have the heaviest lift capacity on the west coast.
It will certainly be interesting to see where things lie at the end of 2022 in terms of capacity, cargo throughput and trends in container traffic. Something that will likely have an effect on all West Coast ports going forward is America’s Marine Highway Project. California’s road and railway network is running at near or over capacity and remains insufficient to satisfy requirements. Therefore, the Port of San Diego, Port of Bellingham, Washington,
CalTrans and Port of Southern Oregon teamed up to explore the possibilities of creating a marine Highway that hugs the west coast of the United States. The project aim is to shift the heaviest cargoes from land-based transportation systems to sea. The project was given the name M5 in reference to a Maritime Interstate route. The Port of San Diego along with the Port of Bellingham received federal designation for the Marine project. This, essentially, will start up in the next few years and offer services to the end points along the west coast.The benefits of this service will primarily be environmental savings getting many trucks off the roads and off the Interstate 5 (I5). What that would do is allow shippers to use other ports as gateway ports moving out of the west coast as opposed to a truck option. So, the northbound move may offer options to ship out of Canada, the southbound route from the Oregon, Washington ports may offer options for shippers to come into San Diego and ship out of either Ensinando or Long Beach. Its designed as a lumber move southbound then Northbound empty, container repositioning or laden containers depending on the need.
18 World Port Development September/October 2022
This is an exciting project - and time - for the west coast ports of the U.S. it seems. We look forward to bringing readers a further update in our next annual survey. For now, however, let’s take a look at the performance of each port across 2021… NWSA The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) full-year 2021 volumes improved 12.5% to 3,736,206 TEUs, with full imports growing 16.8% and full exports declining 12.5%. Full imports were fuelled by strong consumer demand, while full exports were impacted by a shortage of equipment and space. Domestic volumes grew 8.7% compared to 2020. Alaska volumes increased 5.6% while Hawaii volumes grew 22.8%. Meanwhile, total breakbulk grew 25.6% over 2020 volume to 366,184 metric tonnes making 2021 the highest breakbulk volumes in NWSA history. Since 2015, the NWSA has operated breakbulk cargo facilities at East Blair 1 and Terminal 7 in Tacoma. The majority of breakbulk cargo in 2021 was comprised of ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) cargo with construction equipment making up 67% of the volume.