The Port of Oakland handled 173,818 TEU in August, a 9.6% drop year-on-year, according to port figures. Through the first eight months of the year, total throughput stands at 1.47m TEU, down 4.5% on the same period in 2025.

The single bright spot came on the export side. Full exports rose 2.9% month-on-month from July, and loaded cargo overall held relatively firm. For shippers moving agricultural and other export commodities through the Bay Area gateway, that stability matters — it signals vessel space and equipment availability are holding up even as headline volumes slide.

The decline is largely an empties story. Empty container moves fell 11.4% year-on-year through August. Loaded cargo was down just 2.5% over the same period, with full imports off 4.6% while full exports edged 0.2% higher. In other words, the gap between Oakland's headline number and its loaded-cargo performance reflects fewer empty boxes being repositioned through the port, not a collapse in actual freight demand.

Vessel activity also contracted. Oakland recorded 82 vessel calls in August, against 90 in the same month last year — an 8.9% reduction in scheduled port calls. Fewer calls typically points to carrier blanking or consolidated loops, which can tighten routing options for importers and force forwarders to adjust transload plans.

For carriers, the empties decline suggests they are finding cheaper or faster ways to reposition equipment, likely via Southern California or direct intra-Asia rotations, rather than sweeping boxes through Oakland. For BCOs, the relative strength of full exports — up year-to-date — should keep inland equipment supply at the port workable heading into the autumn shipping season.

Port management is leaning into the export base. "Our loaded cargo volumes remain relatively stable year to date, with exports slightly ahead of last year, and we're focused on building on that foundation," said Port of Oakland Acting Maritime Director Jason Garben. "We're working closely with our ocean carrier, shipper, and terminal partners to identify opportunities to grow cargo through Oakland and give more customers reasons to choose this gateway."

The commercial stakes are real. Oakland competes directly with Los Angeles/Long Beach and Seattle-Tacoma for discretionary cargo, and a 4.5% year-to-date volume gap widens the challenge of retaining services. Garben's outreach to carriers and terminal operators signals the port intends to defend its call base rather than concede share passively.

Watch the next two months of data. If full imports continue to run down mid-single digits while empties stay suppressed, total throughput could finish the year below 2.2m TEU — but a further export build, which August's month-on-month gain hints at, would cushion the port's revenue position and keep its loaded-cargo franchise intact.