Significant rise in U.S. inbound ocean cargo

According to a leading trade intelligence report, inbound ocean cargo calls increased at all top ten U.S. ports last month.

Analysts for Zepol Corporation noted that Los Angeles – the nation’s leading seaport – saw a 12.5 percent surge in container throughput. The Port of Seattle, which has been subject to recent cargo disruptions, also finished strong with a 19 percent increase of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The port of Savannah, meanwhile, witnessed a “notable” increase of 26 percent.

Overall, U.S. import shipment volume for January, measured in TEUs, increased 13.4 percent from December, and rose 5.8 percent from January of 2011. The total number of inbound shipments also increased 12 percent from December and 6.4 percent from January of last year. The rise in January 2012 imports is similar to 2011’s data which also saw a significant increase in January from December of 8.5 percent.

Zepol analysts observed, however, that this trend was opposite in 2010 and 2009 which both fell in January from December numbers.

Other key statistics from this month’s update included the fact that TEU imports from China rose 20 percent in January from December, while Japanese imports dropped 11.7 percent. Total TEUs for Asia in January increased by 17 percent. Imports from Europe were also up 3 percent in January with significant rises from the countries of Spain and Turkey, which posted TEU increases of 12 percent and 34 percent respectively from December.

The overall rise in shipments was seen in every top carrier for January as well.

Maersk Line, which is shedding its chassis division, had a 17.5 percent growth from December. APL also had a large increase from the previous month of 22 percent, “a happy spike” compared to APL’s 13 percent drop from November to December. The Mediterranean Shipping Company saw a lull in November to December as well, but a 13.5 percent increase in January, which is the common trend for overall U.S. imports from 2011 to 2012.

About the Author

Patrick Burnson

Mr. Burnson is a widely-published writer and editor specializing in international trade, global logistics, and supply chain management. He is based in San Francisco, where he provides a Pacific Rim perspective on industry trends and forecasts.

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