TEU

From February to March, the report observed that U.S.-bound container import volumes eked out a 0.4% increase, to 2,145,341 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), while posting a 15.7% annual gain, ahead of pre-pandemic 2019 by 20.6%. Descartes explained that the timing of the week-long Lunar New Year in Asia, which commenced on February 11 may have held import growth back, as the subsequent impact on U.S. import numbers was not realized until the last two weeks of March.

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.

Following yesterday’s bridge collision in Baltimore, when the 32,000-ton container ship, Dali, collided into the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, causing it to collapse and stopping ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, for an indefinite period, it has created yet another uncertain situation for supply chains.

February imports, at 2.44 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) increased 21% compared to February 2023. And when taking into account, the timing of the Lunar New Year, coupled with the impact of ongoing Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, the firm explained that U.S.-bound imports over the first two months of 2024, at 5.04 million TEU, posted a 14% annual increase over 2023’s 4.40 million TEU,

February imports, at 2.44 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) increased 21% compared to February 2023. And when taking into account the timing of the Lunar New Year, coupled with the impact of ongoing Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, the firm explained that U.S.-bound imports over the first two months of 2024, at 5.04 million TEU, posted a 14% annual increase over 2023’s 4.40 million TEU, with 2022 and 2021, at 5.21 million TEU and 5.09 million TEU, respectively.

Total POLA volume, at 781,434 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), saw a 60% annual gain, and POLB reported that total February volume, at 674,723 TEU, increased 24.1% annually.

For January, 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 1.96 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), a 4.7% increase over December, and an 8.6% annual increase.

From January to February, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes fell 6%, to 2,137,724 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), compared to January and were up 23.3%

January imports, at 2.59 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) rose 9% annually, representing the third consecutive month of annual growth coming in at 9%.

POLA volume came in at 855,652 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), for an 18% annual increase, and POLB reported that January volume, at 674,015 TEU, increased 17.5% annually.

For calendar year 2023, total U.S.-bound retail container imports, at 22.3 million TEU, were down 12.8% compared to 2022.  The report observed that this was in line with expectations, adding that the shift to growth in its forecast is intact.

From December to January, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes rose 7.9%, to 2,273,125 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units). And on an annual basis, it found that January volumes were up 9.9%, while posting a 9.6% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019’s 2,036,393 TEU tally. What’s more, the report noted that the 7.9% sequential increase, from December to January, marked its biggest gain for that period over the last seven years.

With the global supply chain remaining on high alert amid the series of attacks on the Red Sea shipping lane by the Yemeni Houthi pirates in response to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, a hearing held this week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, examined the impact of this situation on various aspects of goods movement and the supply chain.

Hapag-Lloyd said that the objective of this new offering will be to deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading reliability. And Maersk explained that the Gemini Cooperation will provide unprecedented reliability, speed-to-market, and geographical reach, as well as continuing to support decarbonization and the company’s future intention to be a net-zero company.

United States-bound containerized freight imports finished 2023 on a growth track, for the fourth consecutive month in December, after a 14-month stretch of annual declines, according to data recently issued by S&P Global Market Intelligence. December imports, at 2.2 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), increased 9% in December, matching November’s annual percentage gain. For all of calendar year 2023, S&P reported that imports fell 8.5%, to 28.9 million TEU, while the fourth quarter posted an 8% annual improvement.