Strong holiday season for US containerised imports

GPT’s conclusions are based on a survey and analysis of inbound container traffic flows at the ports of Charleston, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Oakland, Port Everglades, Savannah, Seattle, and Tacoma.

“NRF’s annual forecast says retailers should see solid growth during the holiday season this year and these cargo numbers back it up,” said Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Increased imports show that retailers have gauged the market and expect increased sales.”

The ports tracked by GPT handled 1.42m teu in August, the latest month for which numbers are available. That was up 6.7% from the preceding month and 3.3% higher than August 2011. GPT’s September estimate stands at 1.49m teu (+8.0%) and its October forecast is 1.45m teu (+9.9%).