Monthly import volume in July was greater than in any other month in the Port of Oakland’s entire 92-year history, port officials said Friday.
The officials said that it handled the equivalent of 90,598 standardized import containers in July. It was the first time import volume has ever crossed the 90,000-container threshold. It also beat the port’s former record of 87,207 containers that was set in June 2018. July import volume was also up 7.5 percent from the same period a year ago.
The port attributed the gain to strong U.S. consumer demand.
Export volume was also up from last year. July’s export volume gained 10.2 percent compared with July 2018. Port officials said July figures may foreshadow a busy peak season in container shipping, typically August through October when U.S. importers stock up for the holiday shopping season.