Northwest Seaport Alliance sees September rebound despite annual decline
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) reported a strong month-on-month recovery in container activity during September 2026, with full imports and exports recording double-digit increases compared with August.
Full container imports rose 21.5% month-on-month, while full exports increased 24.2%, providing a positive development for the Seattle-Tacoma gateway after several months of weaker year-on-year comparisons.
Despite the monthly improvement, total container throughput reached 265,692 TEUs in September, representing an 8.1% decline compared with the same month in 2025. Full imports were 4.4% lower year-on-year, while full exports decreased 9.6%.
The Alliance attributed the weaker annual comparison partly to elevated cargo volumes in 2025, when shipments were brought forward ahead of anticipated tariffs.
Container volumes remain lower over the first nine months
During the January–September 2026 period, the Northwest Seaport Alliance handled 2,174,231 TEUs across its international and domestic container operations, a decline of 10.6% compared with the corresponding period last year.
Full imports decreased 12.2% over the nine months, while full exports were down 2.3%.
Domestic container volumes also declined slightly, falling 0.3% year-on-year. Alaska-related volumes increased 0.6%, while Hawaii volumes decreased 5%.
The Alliance reported continued interest from beneficial cargo owners seeking to use the gateway’s rail connections, particularly its consistent rail service and low rail dwell times.
Outside containerised cargo, breakbulk volumes increased 13.4% to 320,335 metric tonnes during the first nine months of the year, supported by industrial demand.
Automobile volumes totalled 208,280 units over the same period, down 2.9% from 2025. According to the Alliance, the impact of tariffs on vehicle traffic was partly offset by additional automobile shipments diverted from Canada because of congestion.
Evergreen prepares to restore Tacoma service
Alongside the September cargo figures, the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced that Evergreen’s HTW service was scheduled to resume calls at Tacoma in late October.
The service is expected to provide 13 weekly voyages, strengthening direct shipping options between the Pacific Northwest gateway and Asian markets.
The return is particularly relevant for agricultural exporters during the peak refrigerated cargo season, when direct vessel connections and the availability of suitable container equipment are important operational considerations.
The Alliance said the service would provide exporters with an additional direct ocean shipping option while supporting equipment availability and export capacity.
NWSA remains the second-largest refrigerated container export gateway in the United States, serving agricultural producers and other exporters across the Pacific Northwest and the country’s interior.
The planned return of the HTW service comes as the gateway seeks to strengthen its export connections and improve container throughput following the weaker year-on-year performance recorded during the first nine months of 2026.
Although September’s month-on-month growth points to an improvement in cargo activity, the Alliance’s latest figures show that overall volumes have not yet returned to their 2025 levels.
