U.S. import container volume down in March, up in 1Q

   U.S. import volume in March fell 12.5 percent year-on-year, largely due to the Chinese New Year falling later this year than in 2011, according to the trade intelligence firm Zepol Corp.
   Zepol said March volume hasn’t been as low since 2009, but that first quarter volume was still marginally higher – 0.1 percent – than in the corresponding period in 2011.
   “Inbound TEUs from China dropped by nearly 36 percent from February, due to many Chinese factories shutting down for the holiday,” Zepol said. “Likewise, imports from Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong saw significant drops in exports to the United States. On the other hand, Japan and India picked up some market share in March, with imports from both countries rising by 17 percent each.”
   For more information on March imports, check out Zepol’s blog. – Eric Johnson