The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which manages the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, reported its seventh consecutive week of depressed metrics year over year for the period ending October 10, 2025. Weekly data released by the NWSA highlights sharp drops across critical trade indicators when compared to figures from October 2024.

While many metrics were stagnant compared to the previous week, the ongoing year-over-year declines underscore persistent challenges impacting port activity.

Key Weekly Declines Highlight Severity

The severity of the volume drop is clearly evident in the comparison to the October 2024 weekly average.

• Truck Transactions: Weekly Truck Transactions, measuring containers moving in and out of the terminal via truck, totaled 23,443 for the week ending October 10. This figure represents a decline of 20.6% compared to the October 2024 weekly average of 29,543 transactions.

• Vessel Lifts: Containers loaded on or off a vessel (including empty container moves) experienced a substantial drop. The 25,163 Vessel Lifts recorded for the week ending October 10 were down 18.6% compared to the October 2024 weekly average of 30,923.

• International Imports: Weekly International Import Containers reached 11,381 for the week ending October 10. This volume was down 15.3% compared to the October 2024 weekly average of 13,437 containers.

The current weekly international import volume is also notably lower than other benchmarks, recording an 11.5% drop compared to the 2025 Year-to-Date average of 12,860 containers, and a 16.3% decrease versus the 2024 Weekly Average of 13,592 containers.

Monthly Data Confirms Steep Trend

The recent weekly declines follow a challenging month of September. Monthly numbers released on October 16th showed that total container volume for September 2025 was down 13.6% compared to September 2024.

The largest monthly drop was seen in the movement of goods, as full international imports were down 22% compared to the same period in September 2024.

Contributing Factors

Market intelligence suggests that ongoing tariffs continue to have an impact on volumes.

Furthermore, analysts note that comparisons to the previous year are heavily influenced by atypical events in 2024. Specifically, September 2024 metrics were inflated because the NWSA received cargo that was diverted from Canada due to labor disruptions. This distortion likely accounts for part of why current volumes are presenting significantly lower this year.

In addition to volume drops, vessel traffic has also seen reductions. In the week ending October 10, the Alliance recorded 11 voyages (with 1 void), following 12 voyages (with 2 void) the previous week. Future projections show continued limited activity, with nine voyages anticipated for the weeks ending October 17 and October 24. Looking across monthly data, key periods in 2025 have seen a reduction in voyages compared to 2024, such as 48 voyages in May 2025 compared to 54 in May 2024, and 55 voyages in June 2025 compared to 65 in June 2024.