NRF: Import growth slows at major U.S. container ports in April

Ports covered by the Global Port Tracker handled 1.61 million TEUs in April 2017, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available, a 4.8 percent increase from the previous month and 11.3 percent jump from the same 2016 period.    The rate of import growth at the nation’s major retail container ports has begun to slow, but volumes should nonetheless hit an all-time high by the end of the summer, according to the latest monthly Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
   “Year-over-year comparisons are slowing down, but that’s largely because we had some unusual numbers early this year and strong volume in the second half of last year,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Despite that, we’re expecting some of the largest import volumes we’ve ever seen, and that’s because retailers are responding to strong consumer demand.”
   In addition, Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said the falling rate of growth in imports has been reflected in lower industrial output growth at factories in China.
   Ports covered by the Global Port Tracker handled 1.61 million TEUs in April, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available, up 4.8 percent month-over-month and 11.3 percent year-over-year.
   Back in March, which saw higher growth, ports covered by the Global Port Tracker handled 1.53 million TEUs, up 6.8 percent month-over-month and 15.8 percent year-over-year.
   Looking ahead, the report forecasts the following for each month across ports covered by the Global Port Tracker, compared to the same month in 2016:
     • May at 1.69 million TEUs, up 3.9 percent;
     • June at 1.64 million TEUs, up 4.1 percent;
     • July at 1.68 million TEUs, up 3.5 percent;
     • August at 1.74 million TEUs, up 1.6 percent;
     • September at 1.64 million TEUs, up 2.8 percent;
     • And October at 1.69 million TEUs, up 1.3 percent.
   Global Port Tracker, which is produced by Hackett Associates for the NRF, covers the U.S. ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Houston.