MARAD RELEASES 2000 VESSEL CALLS AT U.S. PORTS REPORT

MARAD RELEASES 2000 VESSEL CALLS AT U.S. PORTS REPORT    The U.S. Maritime Administration has released its annual Vessel Calls at U.S. Ports report for 2000.
   The report brings together data on vessel capacity and the number of vessels calling at major U.S. ports by type, size and age. “The underlying data permits creation of port and coastal range profiles in terms of the major characteristics on the active world fleet,” MarAd said.
   This year’s report found that 48 percent of the active world fleet called at U.S. ports in 2000, and that the top 20 U.S. ports accounted for 77 percent of the overall vessel capacity calling the United States. Overall, the average size of vessels entering the top 20 U.S. ports was 14 percent larger than the world fleet average.
   From 1998 to 2000, calls at U.S. ports by vehicle carriers increased 46 percent, showing increases in U.S. vehicle imports and higher call frequencies. Containership calls at U.S. ports increased 6 percent during the same three-year period, but containership capacity calling at these ports rose 12 percent, indicating an increase in average vessel size.
   The report may be obtained online through MarAd’s Web site: https://www.marad.dot.gov .