US Customs report 4.7 pc fall in box traffic

Container throughput at US ports fell by 4.7 per cent in 2008, as compared to 2007, with the sharpest decline recorded in the fourth quarter of 2008 at 7.3 per cent, when compared to the same quarter of 2007, according to Exim News Service.

The results showed that container traffic decreased in 11 out of 12 months during 2008 when compared to 2007, reports said.

Total shipments for 2008 were the lowest since 2005, according to Zepol’s US Customs database, which also shows that the nation’s box traffic was down on 2006’s result.

But container traffic in 2008 was 12 per cent higher than in 2005, 20 per cent higher than in 2004, and 36 per cent higher than in 2003, the report said.

Source: Transport Weely