Port Tracker

Amid various supply chain issues, United States retail container ports are expected to see imports top the 2-million mark in May for the first time since October, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

For October, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volume, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 2.05 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), marking a 1.3% gain over September and a 2.5% annual increase, marking the first annual increase going back to June 2022. Along with September’s 2.03 million TEU tally, this represents the second month that time imports have eclipsed the 2 million TEU mark going back to October 2022.

The report said that should its projections for the remainder of 2023 come to fruition, the full-year total, at 22.1 million TEU, which would mark a 13.5% annual decline compared to 2022’s 25.5 million TEU, which was off 1.2% annually compared to 2021’s all-time high of 25.8 million TEU.

For June, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volumes, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.83 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking a 5.2% gain decrease compared to May and an 18.7% annual decline. For the first half of 2023, total imports came in at 10.5 million TEU, down 22% compared to the same period a year ago.

For May, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volumes, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.93 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking an 8.5% gain over April and a 19.3% annual decline.

For March, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker noted that import volumes, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.62 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking a 5% gain over February—which saw its lowest volume in a month going back to May 2020’s 1.53 million TEU, when several Asian-based factories and U.S.-based stores were closed because of the pandemic—while posting a 30.6% annual decline. This tally trailed a previous March estimate, of 1.68...

United States-bound import volumes are pegged to see gains through the summer months, albeit at below levels seen during the pandemic, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker noted that import volumes, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.81 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), for a 4.4% increase compared to December and a 16.5% annual decrease.

A pairing of ongoing economic uncertainty and lower import volumes were the key themes in the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

For November, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.78 million TEU, an 11.3% decline compared to October and a 15.8% annual decline. This represented the lowest monthly tally since February 2021, when it came in at 1.87 million TEU, the lone month in more than two years to come in below 2 million TEU.

For October, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was off 1.3% compared to September and was off 9.3% annually.

For September, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.03 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—fell 10.2% compared to August and were off 4.9% annually.

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume - at 2.26 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) - was 3.5% above July and off 0.4% annually, marking the fourth annual decline in the last two years (through August) and for the second time since December 2021.

For July, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.18 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was 3.1% below June and off 0.4% annually, marking the third annual decline in the last two years (through July) and for the first time since December 2021.

For June, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.25 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was down 5.9% compared to May’s 2.4 million TEU. May set a monthly import record, going back to when NRF initially began tracking imports, coming in ahead of the previous record, of 2.34 million TEU, set in March.