The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) reported a 10.2% increase in year-to-date (YTD) 2025 container volumes measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
Despite this overall growth, full international imports declined by 21.2% in May 2025 compared to May 2024, marking the end of 14 consecutive months of month-over-month growth, according to the company's release.
The decline partially reflects the impact of tariff uncertainty on shipping decisions. Full international exports fell 10.7% during the same period.
Total container volume for May 2025, combining international and domestic shipments, reached 250,851 TEUs, a decrease of 9.4% from May 2024.
Year-to-date figures show full imports growing 12%, while full exports declined by 2.5%.
Domestic container volumes increased 3.5% compared to YTD 2024, with Alaska and Hawaii volumes rising by 2.5% and 9.1%, respectively.
The NWSA recognized top-performing ocean services in its Voyage Consistency & On-Time Arrival Award Program for maintaining 96% schedule reliability from May 2024 to April 2025.
Awardees include Swire Shipping’s Westwood Service and Sun Chief Express, along with MSC’s California Express.
Additional cargo statistics indicate that total breakbulk volume decreased 31.1% year-to-date to 138,117 metric tons, affected by high interest rates and tariffs.
Auto volumes declined 13.8% YTD to 123,350 units, reflecting a nationwide slowdown in auto sales.
Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) is a marine cargo operating partnership between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma in the United States. It manages container and cargo operations in the Puget Sound region, serving as a key gateway for trans-Pacific trade.