Still bouncing back from winter decline Oakland, Calif. - Containerized cargo volume was up for the second straight month at the Port of Oakland in April. The Port said today its total volume – imports, exports and empty containers - rose 1.7 percent last month from April 2014. That followed an 8.1 percent increase in March. The numbers show continued improvement from declines of 30 percent and 31 percent in January and February. “We’re moving out of the slack winter season and working to gain momentum,” said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll. “We want to drive additional cargo through Oakland as the peak shipping season arrives.” Oakland import business continued to rebound in April. The Port said the volume of loaded import containers it handled last month rose 3.1 percent over 2014. That followed a 39.4 percent increase in March. The Port said Oakland export cargo declined 12.9 percent in April. It attributed the slump to the continued strength of the U.S. dollar. The dollar has made American goods costlier overseas and has contributed to a widening U.S. trade gap.