The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) reported higher import and export volumes in May, with full imports increasing 6.8% and full exports rising 3.3% compared to the same month last year.
Import growth was driven by an early peak season as beneficial cargo owners accelerated shipments ahead of proposed Section 301 tariffs. The comparison was also influenced by softer volumes in May 2025.
Exports continued to show resilience, performing above the five-year average. Full export volumes increased 1.6% in May and were 3.2% higher year-to-date.
Total container throughput, including international and domestic cargo, reached 238,021 TEUs in May, down 5.1% from May 2025. Year-to-date volumes totalled 1.17 million TEUs, a decline of 14% compared to the same period last year. Full imports were down 16.5% year-to-date, while full exports decreased 0.9%.
The Gemini Cooperation, comprising Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, recorded the best performance in the latest period of NWSA’s Voyage Consistency & On-Time Arrival Award programme. The alliance’s WC4 | TP5 service recorded only one blank sailing over 26 weeks and maintained an average arrival delay of just five hours.
Domestic container traffic declined 2.2% year-to-date. Alaska volumes fell 2.1%, while Hawaii traffic decreased 2.6%.
Other cargo segments delivered mixed results. Breakbulk volumes increased 18.4% to 163,533 metric tonnes in the first five months of the year, supported by strong industrial demand. Vehicle volumes fell 13.3% to 106,994 units as tariffs continued to affect the automotive sector.
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