Port Tracker: U.S. imports down for seventh month in a row

Port Tracker: U.S. imports down for seventh month in a row Container imports at the major U.S. ports have declined for seven consecutive months with February’s inbound volume estimated to be down nearly 10 percent year on year, according to the monthly Port Tracker report of the National Retail Federation and Global Insight.
   The report said inbound traffic will continue to reflect the slowdown in the U.S. economy with weak or negative growth over the next several months.

Gold

   'Container traffic at the ports mirrors what retailers expect to sell in their stores, and the retail industry is expecting only modest growth this year,' said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy. 'Retailers are managing inventory to match demand.'
   In January, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available, import volume at the U.S. ports surveyed by Port Tracker — Los Angeles-Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle on the West Coast; New York-New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast; and Houston on the Gulf Coast — dropped 4.3 percent year on year at 1.24 million TEUs.
   February was estimated at 1.18 million TEUs, down 9.6 percent from the same month in 2007. The report forecasts March at 1.27 million TEUs, unchanged from last year; April at 1.35 million TEUs, up 1.8 percent; May at 1.37 million TEUs, up 0.7 percent; June at 1.4 million TEUs, down 3.6 percent; and July at 1.45 million TEUs, up 0.2 percent.
   Due to the lighter traffic all the ports surveyed, including Seattle and Tacoma, which were rated at 'medium' for congestion last month because of the potential for short-term delays related to winter weather, are now rated “low” for congestion.

Bingham

      'Winter weather conditions are coming to an end, and the ports we cover are operating without congestion all the way from the harbor to the gate,' said Global Insight Economist Paul Bingham. 'Rail performance measures showed continued adequate performance in February, with a modest improvement over the same period a year earlier.'