US retail container traffic expected to rise 13% in March

Import cargo volume at the United States' major retail container ports is expected to be up 13 percent in March compared with the same month a year ago, and double-digit increases are expected to continue through the summer as the US economy begins in improve, the Canada Business News Network reported.

"These numbers show that retailers continue to anticipate improvements in the US economy," National Retail Federation vice-president for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

"This is very different from the past two years when merchants were continually cutting their imports in an effort to manage inventory."

US ports handled 1.08 million TEUs in January, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was down just under one percent from December as imports wound down after the holiday season, but up two percent from January 2009. It was also the second month in a row to show a year-over-year improvement after December broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year monthly declines.

February was estimated at 1.08 million TEUs, the same as January but a 29 percent increase over unusually low numbers in February 2009, and March is forecast at 1.09 million TEU, up 13 percent from the previous year. April is forecast at 1.17 million TEU, up 19 percent as retailers begin to stock up for spring and summer, May at 1.21 million TEU, up 17 percent, June at 1.26 million TEU, up 25 percent, and July at 1.33 million TEU, up 20 percent.

(Source: Cargo News Asia)