Freight study says China will remain cargo king

A new study of containerized cargo said China would continue as the dominant supply source for North American businesses with India and Southeast Asia imports growing, but on a relatively smaller base.

The report, called the Containerized Intermodal Goods Movement Assessment 2008, was released by the Philadelphia-based freight transportation consultant The Tioga Group Inc. It conducted interviews with more than 60 leading firms linked to the supply chain to prepare the study.

Other findings:

   Some additional Asian cargo will shift to East Coast ports, but the West Coast will continue to grow.

   Southern California container transloading will continue to play a major role to East and Midwest destinations. However, the efficiency of on-dock rail and inland logistics parks will continue to attract inland point intermodal traffic.

   South Atlantic ports will expand due to all-water routings and regional market demands.

   New York-New Jersey and Virginia ports will continue as the primary East Coast entry points.

   A shortage of bulk shipping capacity is shifting grain exports to containers, creating a shortage of containers in grain growing regions.

Source: American Shipper