PRESS RELEASE (Port of Oakland)

The Port of Oakland (Port) March container volume continues to signal the Port’s cargo growth.

In March, 202,816 TEUs (twenty-foot containers) passed through Port of Oakland facilities, marking a 19.1% increase over March 2023 volume.

Full imports at the Oakland Seaport continued to rise for the fifth month in a row, registering a 38.4% increase compared to March 2023. Port operators processed 83,483 full inbound TEUs in March 2024, in contrast to 60,311 full import TEUs in March 2023, reaching their highest volume since August 2022. Rising incomes and rising net worth among consumers in major Northern California markets are credited with supporting import growth.

Full exports grew for the fourth month in a row, boasting a 14.8% increase compared to March 2023, transiting 75,352 TEUs in March 2024, versus 65,635 TEUs in March 2023. This is the highest monthly total for full outbound cargo at Oakland since April 2021.

"I am encouraged that the positive cargo trends we are seeing in 2024 continue,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “A strong economy and the need for retailers to replenish stock in their warehouses are driving import cargo activity today."

Empty imports rose 11.9%, registering 20,254 TEUs in March 2024, compared to 18,097 TEUs in March 2023. Empty exports also declined 9.5%, transiting 23,728 TEUs in February 2024, versus 26,225 TEUs in March 2023.

Facts and figures about Port of Oakland

The Port of Oakland loads and discharges more than 99% of the containerized goods moving through Northern California. Oakland's cargo volume makes it the ninth busiest container port in the United States based on Calendar Year 2023 data.

San Francisco Bay ranks among the four largest Pacific Coast ports for container cargo, along with Los Angeles and Long Beach in southern California and Seattle and Tacoma (Northwest Seaport Alliance) in Washington state.

In 2023, about 75% of Oakland's trade was with Asia. Europe accounted for 15%, Australia/New Zealand and other Pacific islands about 2%, and other foreign nations about 1%. About 7% of Oakland's trade is domestic (primarily Hawaii). California's three major container ports carry approximately half of the nation's total container cargo volume.