Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units

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.

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 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.

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.

The Port of Los Angele reported that total November volume, at 763,262 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), posted a 19% annual gain, and the Port of Long Beach reported that total November volume, at 731,033 TEU, saw a 24.2% annual increase.

From October to November, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes fell 9%, to 2,099,408 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), which the company observed is consistent with late-in-the-year declines seen in recent years. For the same period, from 2019 through 2022, volumes were down 8.2%, 8.3%, 5.0%, and 12.0%, respectively.

October imports, at 2.64 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), increased 5% annually, following a 1% annual gain in September. On a year-to-date basis through October, imports are down 11.5%, to 24.02 million TEU.  

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.

The Port of Los Angeles reported that total September volume, at 748,440 TEU, was up 5% annually, marking its second consecutive month of annual growth. The Port of Long Beach reported that September marked its highest-volume September on record, with volume at 829,429 TEU, increasing 11.8% annually, and topping the previous September high in 2020 by 78,849 TEU.

From August to September, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes saw a 0.3% increase, coming in at 2,203,452 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), which the report observed differs from the decline that typically occurs over the last third of the calendar year.

From July to August, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes eked out a 0.4% annual increase, coming in at 2,196,268 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), while posting a 13.2% annual decline and up 2.5% compared to pre-pandemic August 2019. And on a year-to-date basis through August, imports are down 2.1% compared to the same period in 2019.

From May to June, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes were off 0.7%. coming in at 2,081,793 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), while falling 16.1% compared to June 2022 and rising 6.0% compared to June 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic. What’s more, the 0.7% May to June decrease represents the lowest decrease for that period going back to 2017.

POLA reported that total May volume came in at 779,140 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), representing a 19.5% annual decline. And the Port of Long Beach reported that May volume fell 14.9% annually, coming in at 758,225 TEU.