US Box Imports Continue to Drop

A new survey of US container volumes has revealed further drops in September, with peak-season weakness predicted to persist, reports Fairplay quoting Port Tracker, a monthly report by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Global Insight.

Volumes at surveyed US ports fell 1.9% in September against the year before. In August, box volumes fell 1.4%. Port Tracker predicted that October container volumes will fall by 0.2% and that November throughput will be flat.

“Container traffic is expected to continue at a slow pace due to weakness in the US economy,” explained Global Insight economist Paul Bingham, adding that “volumes will continue to decline, but all ports are rated low for congestion, as are truck and rail operations.”

According to NRF supply chain vice president Jonathan Gold, “The low volumes at the ports reflect retailers’ cautious expectations for sales during the holiday season. Retailers are carefully managing inventories so that supply won’t exceed demand.”

Source:Seanews