Container handling through the ports of Seattle and Tacoma fell by 2% on a year earlier in October. While exports improved by 1%, that was only due to a 46% rise in empty container handling. Excluding empty containers volumes fell by 7%, the seventh straight decline. Handling may have been disrupted by the handover to SSA Marine from Maersk, though volumes have been in a longer term decline. Imports from China and Hong Kong fell 11%, and those from South Korea by 25%.