Container volume soars 20 percent in October to fourth-largest total ever Oakland, Calif. - Port of Oakland export volume reached a three-year high in October, soaring 20 percent over 2015 totals.  The Port reported today that it shipped the equivalent of 89,473 export containers last month.  That was the most since Oct. 2013, the Port said, and the fourth-largest monthly total in its history. The figures cap a yearlong rally that has lifted Oakland exports 10 percent above 2015 volume year-to-date.  They re-enforce the Port’s position as one of the top export gateways in the U.S. “Increased export volume is nothing new – we’ve reported gains in nine of the first 10 months of the year,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll.  “But the amount of volume growth highlights just how strong this rally is.” The Port said a softer U.S. dollar and healthy agricultural harvests helped drive export gains.  Growers in California’s Central, Napa and Salinas valleys depend on Oakland to reach markets in Asia. The Port reported that containerized import cargo volume increased 2 percent in October.  Overall loaded container volume – imports and exports – was up 11.4 percent. Here are the top four totals for containerized exports by month in Port of Oakland history, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs):
  • March, 2012: 91,613 TEUs
  • Oct. 2013: 89,561 TEUs
  • March 2011: 89,524 TEUs
  • October 2016: 89,473 TE