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Port of Portland Numbers Continue to Drop by Staff Puget Sound Business Journal, June 19, 2009

Seattle, Tacoma ports consider paying to upgrade private freight system

Marine cargo at the Port of Portland fell nearly 38 percent in May, as the port continues to struggle with double-digit declines in all categories.

Total cargo tons are down 39.7 percent to 3.96 million so far this year.

Mineral bulk, breakbulk and auto shipments are all down more than 50 percent so far this year.

Faring the worst is mineral bulk, which is down 57.3 percent to 1.08 million tons. That's followed by breakbulk tonnage, which is down 55.4 percent to 173,387 tons.

Auto units are down 56.6 percent for the year to 81,556. The 9,556 units imported in May represent the first time in at least five years that the port has had fewer than 10,000 monthly auto imports.

Container units are down 27 percent for the year, to 75,734 units, while grain is down 23.7 percent to 1.69 million tons.