Supply Chain Research

Container handling at the Puget Sound ports of Seattle and Tacoma underperformed most other port complexes in June. A 2% drop in handling included a 6% slide in imports. This may partly reflect computer virus disruptions at Maersk’s facilities, though South Korean imports dropped 16% on a year earlier. On the other side of country Virginia’s ports, including Norfolk, saw a 7% increase, including a 10% jump in imports that outpaced a small drop in exports. That’s a pattern seen elsewhere including California, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas.