Canada, California ports grow west coast market share

North America West Coast container ports experienced a decline in year-over-year traffic in the second quarter of 2013.

Overall throughput to major west coast ports in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada fell 2.3% from 6,114,834 TEU in the second quarter of 2012 to 5,975,881 TEU in the second quarter of 2013. North America West Coast market shares of major Pacific Northwest and Mexican ports were down year-over-year. However, ports in Canada and California saw their shares of the market climb.

Among North America West Coast ports, U.S. ports continue to hold the largest market share, with an 81.6% share of overall traffic during the second quarter of 2013. This is up one-tenth of a percentage point from the same quarter a year ago. Of the major U.S. West Coast ports, Southern  California, which includes the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, holds the highest overall market share with 60.1%. Southern California`s share went up by four-tenths of a percentage point from the previous year.

The major west coast Mexico Port of Lazaro Cardenas held a 4.5% share of the North America Pacific Coast market in the second quarter of 2013, a drop of six-tenths of a percentage point from a year ago. Canadian ports increased their share in the 2013 second quarter by four-tenths of a percentage point to a 13.8% share.

The major West Coast Canadian ports, which include Vancouver and Prince   Rupert, British Columbia, saw throughput volume totaling 825,788 TEU in the second quarter of 2013, up 1.0% from 817,579 TEU in 2012.

Vancouver throughput rose 3.5% year-over-year to 696,917 TEU, and its market share inched up from 11.0% to 11.7%. However, Prince Rupert saw a decline in throughput of 10.7% this quarter to 128,871 TEU; its market share slipped from 2.4% to 2.2% year-over-year. Throughput at Lazaro Cardenas tumbled 14.0% year-over-year in the second quarter to 271,366 TEU.

Overall U.S. throughput was down year-over-year in the second quarter, falling 2.1% to 4,878,727 TEU. Tacoma saw the largest year-over-year jump in throughput in the second quarter, with volume up 34.3% to 346,823 TEU from 258,330 TEU in the second quarter of 2012, largely because of the Grand Alliance`s shift from Seattle to Tacoma. Its market share grew 1.6% points to 5.8%. < Korea Shipping Gazette >