The Port of Oakland closed August with a mixed set of numbers: a small step forward on exports from the previous month, but a clear step back from where it stood a year ago.
The California gateway moved 173,818 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) over the month. Full export volume rose 2.9% compared with July, yet combined loaded imports and exports reached 131,666 TEUs, a 9% drop from August 2025.
Empty containers, often read as a signal of imports to come, totaled 42,152 TEUs, down 11.4% year over year. Vessel calls also slowed, falling to 82 from 90 twelve months earlier.
A softer year so far
Over the first eight months of the year, loaded cargo at Oakland is running 2.5% below the same period in 2025. Full imports are down 4.6%, while full exports have held on with a 0.2% gain. Empty-container movements are off by 11.4% year to date.
The uptick in exports from July points to some month-to-month improvement for a port that leans heavily on agricultural and other export cargoes. Still, the annual decline shows the pressure weighing on the wider import-export market, especially for second-tier West Coast hubs. Carriers have increasingly concentrated their services at Los Angeles-Long Beach, and some vessel rotations have moved to Canada.
Acting Maritime Director Jason Garben described loaded volumes as relatively stable so far this year, with exports running slightly ahead of the 2025 pace.
Looking ahead, the port says it intends to work more closely with ocean carriers, shippers and terminal partners to identify new cargo opportunities and draw more customers to the Oakland gateway.
