News
Eastbound containers from Asia's 18 countries and territories to the U.S. enjoyed a double-digit increase of 10.1% in March 2010 from a year earlier to a total of 925,000 TEUs, according to a report released by the Japan Maritime Center (JMC). On the westbound trade from the U.S. to Asia, container volume rose 2.5% year on year to 528,000 TEUs in March.
For the first three months of the year, eastbound containers in the transpacific improved 12.3% to 2.839 million TEUs, making a turnaround to year-on-year growth for the first time since the third quarter of 2007.
Exports from China, the top exporter to the U.S, rose 5.2% from a year before to 565,000 TEUs and those from Hong Kong also climbed 8.7% on year to 33,000 TEUs, registering a positive growth for the two straight months. China and Hong Kong combined, their containerized exports gained 5.4% year on year to 597,787 TEUs.
Shipments from Japan soared 30.5% from a year earlier in March to 55,698 TEUs, thanks to increases in automotive parts and components and general electric machinery. South Korea exported 57,000 TEUs in March, up 33.9%, for a double-digit increase for the fifth straight month, while Taiwan exported 38,000 TEUs, representing a moderate 7.6% increase over the same month last year.
