US ports experience 0.3pc decline in import container volumes in August

ZEPOL Corporation, a trade intelligence company, has reported that US import shipment volume for August fell by 0.3 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier, and is down three per cent from the previous month.

The result goes against the trend of the past three years of a August spike in imports, the company noted, adding that in 2010 and 2011, August was the peak month.

"The lower August numbers could be due to early holiday purchases in July, which saw abnormally high TEU numbers," said Zepol CEO Paul Rassmussen, "but may also have to do with the potential for labour strikes or lockouts at east coast ports from the union, the International Longshoremen's Association [ILA] or from the employers, the United States Maritime Alliance [USMX]."

On the other hand, the company highlights speculation that the strike will not affect import volume and that September will be a major month for US imports.

The results show that most Asian countries saw a drop in shipments to the US from July to August. China volume in TEU terms decreased by 0.59 per cent, while imports from South Korea and Singapore were down 10 per cent. But the two big European major exporters did better in the same period with Germany increasing exports 1.9 per cent year on year while Italy enjoyed a 3.4 per cent boost.

A statement posted by Marketwire via Comtex said seven of the top 10 US ports posted declines in container imports for August compared to the previous month. The Port of Los Angeles imports fell 3.9 per cent from July and the Port of Oakland seven per cent in TEU volume. The Port of Savannah, however, saw the volume of imports in August rise 7.6 per cent from July, making it the nation's fourth busiest port.