Best shipping season in five years, Seaport Alliance says

November was a good month for the Northwest Seaport Alliance, building on a peak shipping season that’s so far the best in five years.

Compared with last year, November full imports jumped 28 percent, while full exports rose by 23 percent, according to a seaport alliance press release. The ports of Tacoma and Seattle formed the alliance more than a year ago.

Top imports include furniture, clothes, games and footwear. Agricultural products make up the gateway’s top exports: hay, forest products, apples and potatoes.

Full imports are up 6 percent year to date, and full exports have surged 14 percent in the same time frame.

Break bulk cargo is down 24 percent year to date, to 165,836 metric tons, as a strong U.S. dollar impacts cargo, coupled with a downturn in agricultural, mining and construction equipment.

Log exports are down 36 percent, to 150,962 metric tons, due to decreased demand from China and competition from New Zealand.

Car imports fell 10 percent to 151,985 units for the month because of supply chain shifts and production issues.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Best shipping season in five years, Seaport Alliance says."