U.S. import boxes surge nearly 18% in January

U.S. import boxes surge nearly 18% in January    U.S. import container volume rose 17.6 percent in January compared to the same month in 2010, according to statistics released by trade intelligence company Zepol Corp.
   Zepol noted that after a four-month slide month-to-month, January showed a significant increase from December, but that volumes are in line with November 2010.
   'Much of this increase was driven by Asian origin shipments as they rose 11.3 percent in preparation for the lunar New Year,' Zepol said. 'Ports on the Atlantic Coast show the greatest increases in volumes for January 2011 over January 2010 with an increase of 19.2 percent compared to the Pacific Coast of 16.8 percent and the Gulf Coast of 10.7 percent. This could be an expanding trend as shipments return to 2007/2008 totals and the same capacity issues affect Southern California.'

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   Maersk Line ranks as the top carrier in terms of U.S. inbound volume, while Mediterranean Shipping Co. and APL had the largest year-on-year growth in January, at 31.1 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively.
   Minneapolis-based Zepol tracks inbound containers using U.S. Customs data straight from carrier bills of lading as they are entered in the Automated Manifest System.