US imports predicted to increase in January

Global Port Tracker’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.

“The strike deadline came and went at the end of December, but the threat of closing down nearly half our nation’s port capacity has only been postponed, not eliminated,” said NRF VP for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold. “The uncertainty of what will happen in February has retailers implementing expensive contingency plans yet again and is a burden our economy cannot afford.”

The ports followed by Global Port Tracker are estimated to have handled a total of 1.3m teu in December, up 6.5% from last year.