Today the Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Current and forecasted U.S. import volume data is found within the report which points to July as being the highest monthly volume in the last five years.
“U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.48 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in May, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 3.7 percent from April and 6.6 percent from May 2013. ”
>> Click here to read the article from the National Retail Federation
- U.S. ports could see 1.5 million containers come in during the month of July; if the import volume reaches this count it would be the highest in five years. The recent report from Global Port Tracker points to retailers bringing in inventory early to avoid any port disruptions that could arise from the expired contract between ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) and PMA (Pacific Maritime Association).
- “Retailers have a number of contingency plans in place, and Global Port Tracker numbers show that some importers have begun shifting cargo to East Coast ports: West Coast ports handled 59 percent of U.S. retail container cargo in May, down from 62 percent in January.”
- “June was estimated at 1.46 million TEU, up 7.6 percent from the same month last year, and July is forecast at 1.5 million TEU, up 4.3 percent from last year. August is forecast at 1.51 million TEU, up 1.6 percent from last year; September at 1.45 million TEU, up 1 percent; October at 1.49 million TEU, up 3.8 percent; and November at 1.39 million TEU, up 3.6 percent.”