NRF, Global Insight say expect the unexpected at ports

NRF, Global Insight say expect the unexpected at ports    In the middle of the slow season for container imports, the nation’s major retail container ports are operating without congestion but could face challenges ahead, according to the February Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight.
   “Looking ahead to the coming 2006 peak season, we see continued challenges to system performance due to continued growth in trade that will start again within the next two months,” Global Insight Economist Paul Bingham said in a statement.
   “As we must every year, we can expect some shocks to the system. However, their nature and timing is unknown just as the 2005 natural disasters and fuel price spikes couldn’t be predicted. There will also continue to be rail capacity constraints and trucking concerns. But with quick decision-making and rapid mitigation steps, we hope the industry will be able to repeat the overall success we saw in 2005 and keep any terminal or network congestion to a minimum.”