Import cargo volume at US container ports will be grow by 25 percent during the first half of 2010, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
"This is a dramatic turnaround over what we've seen during the past two years," NRF vice-president for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said.
"Increases in import volumes don't correspond directly with dollar volumes in sales, so caution has to be exercised when looking at these numbers. But retailers are clearly expecting to move more merchandise this year."
US ports handled 1.09 million TEU in December, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was unchanged from November but up 2.6 percent from December 2008 to break a 28-month negative streak.
January was estimated at 1.19 million TEU, a 17 percent increase over January 2009, and February, traditionally the slowest month of the year, is forecast at 1.1 million TEU, up 30 percent.
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Source: cargonewsasia
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