Port of Oakland ends 2025 with 2.254 million TEUs, down 0.4% from 2024

Annual container totals finish nearly flat after 2024 rebound

The Port of Oakland ended calendar year 2025 with total container throughput of 2,253,976 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a 0.4% decline from 2024. The result followed a stronger 2024 in which the port reported 2.26 million TEUs, up 9.5% from 2023, positioning 2025 as a year of stabilization rather than continued rapid growth.

Port data for December 2025 showed 179,580 TEUs, a 1.7% decrease compared with December 2024. Full container volume in December totaled 140,050 TEUs, down 3.0% year over year, while empty container moves increased 3.4% to 39,530 TEUs—an indicator of ongoing equipment repositioning as carriers and cargo owners adjusted inventories and schedules near year-end.

Imports dipped, exports edged up, producing an even split

For the full year, import TEUs declined 0.9% while export TEUs rose 0.1%. The net effect was a roughly even 50/50 balance between import and export moves over 2025, a notable outcome for a gateway that handles substantial agricultural exports alongside consumer and industrial imports. Full containers accounted for about 77% of total annual volume, in line with recent years.

Monthly results highlighted how quickly that balance can shift. In December, loaded imports fell 12.8% year over year, while loaded exports increased 10.9%. The same month saw a modest rise compared with November, consistent with typical end-of-year shipping patterns.

Early-year growth gave way to uneven monthly performance

During the first quarter of 2025, the port reported year-over-year gains, with March totaling 217,415 TEUs and first-quarter volume reaching 601,527 TEUs—up 6.3% from the same period in 2024. January 2025 also showed increased loaded volume compared with January 2024, reflecting solid demand in some import categories alongside steady export flows.

By year-end, the annual totals suggested that early momentum was offset by softer periods later in the year, leaving the port’s 2025 performance essentially flat when compared with the prior year’s rebound.

December 2025 snapshot

• Total volume: 179,580 TEUs (-1.7% year over year)
• Full containers: 140,050 TEUs (-3.0%)
• Loaded imports: -12.8%
• Loaded exports: +10.9%
• Empty containers: 39,530 TEUs (+3.4%)

Port officials described the month’s divergence between weaker imports and stronger exports as timing-related adjustments rather than a fundamental shift in demand.

Overall, 2025 results place the Port of Oakland in a holding pattern after 2024’s surge, with stable total volume and a continued mix of inbound consumer goods and outbound export cargo shaping activity through the year.