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Prince Rupert, which is also working to attract more export cargo as well as imports, is developing an intermodal center close to the port to improve intermodal efficiency. The LinX facility is scheduled to open in 2027.

Sharp declines in NWSA

While Vancouver and Prince Rupert import volumes increased in the first quarter, imports declined by 3.6 % in Los Angeles, 5.6 % in Long Beach, and 6.8 % in Oakland, according to Sea-Intelligence. The Northwest Seaport Alliance of Seattle and Tacoma( NWSA) was especially hardhit, with imports declining 18 % year over year.

For more than a decade US West Coast ports have been losing market share of Asian origin imports to ports along the East and Gulf coasts, given that two-thirds of the US population resides in the Eastern half of the country. Still, that share can shift considerably from month to month based on market dynamics and seasonality.

In March, the West Coast had a market share of 53.2 % for US imports from Asia, with the East Coast at 37.8 % and the Gulf Coast at 9 %, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S & P Global. For April, the shares had moved significantly, with the West Coast jumping to 61.9 %, the East Coast falling to 30.5 %, and the

Gulf slipping to 7.6 %. The West Coast’ s share last month was the highest since last June.

Competition among US West Coast ports for imports from Asia is now internal, with Los Angeles-Long Beach capitalizing on the steep losses in the NWSA, said Mike Jacob, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association( PMSA). PMSA represents shipping lines and USWC terminal operators on regulatory issues.

“ It just takes a whole lot less fuel to move a train from Vancouver to Chicago.”

“ You’ re looking at an amazing amount of consolidation in Southern California,” Jacob told the Journal of Commerce.

Carriers and railroads seek density in freight volumes so they deploy the bulk of their assets in Southern California, which has a much larger local population and offers intermodal services to most regions to the east, including Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, Columbus, and Atlanta.

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www. joc. com June 1, 2026 | Journal of Commerce 29