Import cargo volume at the U.S. major retail container ports is expected to rise 11 percent in February from the same month last year, showed the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Monday by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
NRF said that U.S. ports handled 1.14 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units(TEU) in December, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was down 7 percent from November as the holiday season wound down, but up 5 percent from December 2009. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.
For the full year, 2010 totaled 14.7 million TEU, up 16 percent from 2009, which was resulted from that 2009' s 12.7 million TEU was the lowest level seen since 2003.
"Strong growth in 2010 has retailers cautiously optimistic that the economic recovery is finally taking hold," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. "While high unemployment and rising commodity prices are cause for concern, retailers are encouraged by six consecutive months of retail sales gains and improved consumer confidence."
NRF said that January remained steady at 1.14 million TEU, increasing 6 percent from January 2010. February is forecast at 1.11 million TEU, up 11 percent over last year, with March at 1.16, up 8 percent; April at 1.22 million TEU, up 7 percent; May at 1.3 million TEU, up 3 percent, and June at 1.37 million TEU, up 4 percent.
The first half of 2011 is forecast at 7.3 million TEU, up 6 percent from the first half of 2010. That compares with 17 percent growth in the first half of 2010 over the first half of 2009.
Global Port Tracker, produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast./.