DECOUPLING: What we can VERIFY about Port of Seattle ‘ghost town’ rumors.

According to both sources, three international cargo ships were docked Monday in the Port of Seattle. One is registered in Portugal, one in Singapore, and the third in Hong Kong.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance told KING 5 that 15 more cargo ships are expected to pass between the Port of Seattle (nine for Seattle) and the Port of Tacoma over the next week. Twelve of those ships are expected to contain goods from China.

The Seaport Alliance said port traffic in Seattle is up 7.3% in the last 30 days. The port saw an 18.4% increase in volumes in March, partially driven by shippers moving cargo before anticipated tariffs.
Northwest Seaport Alliance Port of Seattle Commissioner, Ryan Calkins, said the future does not look as good.

“The last forecast I saw was forecasting out over the next three months, and each month was forecasted to be down around 25% per month,” Calkins said.

The Seaport Alliance said some ships are coming in with less cargo than anticipated. In some cases, it is 30% lower.

“Unfortunately, we are beginning to see a reduction in the total number of containers coming off any particular vessel when they come in,” Calkins said.

Exit quote: “The Northwest Seaport Alliance said the Port of Seattle is not a ‘ghost town,’ but it will be closely watching what happens in the next couple of weeks.”