News
The volume of containerized shipments moved eastbound from Asia to the U.S. increased 7% year on year to 1,264,762 TEUs in January 2014, breading the previous monthly record set in October last year, according to a report released by the Japan Maritime Center (JMC). In particular, furniture and other household goods, auto parts and components and floor materials, blinds and other plastic products reached record highs. However, container movement on the route is estimated to have plunged 10% in February.
Looking at containers carried from Asia to the U.S. in January by origin, the JMC, which compiled the report from statistical data provided by the Port Import/Export Reporting Service (PIERS) of the U.S., added that exports from Japan and South Korea both decreased from a year earlier, falling 0.3% from a year earlier to 49,226 TEUs and 2.6% to 57,705 TEUs, respectively. In contrast, those from China, Southeast Asia and South Asia were all favorable, hiking 9.6% to 841,839 TEUs, 3.7% to 163,627 TEUs and 10% to 65,432 TEUs, respectively.
As for shipments transported from the U.S to Asia in December 2013, those to Japan went down 7.6% from the corresponding month of 2012 to 62,326 TEUs; to Taiwan, down 1.5% to 50,427 TEUs; to Southeast Asia, down 2.6% to 80,381 TEUs and to South Asia, down 13.1% to 31,800 TEUs. On the other hand, containers to China and South Korea grew 13.9% to 269,950 TEUs and 0.6% to 57,550 TEUs, respectively. In 2013, a record high of 6.867 million TEUs were handled on the westbound route, which increased 2.2% from the previous year and registered a year-on-year improvement for the fourth consecutive year.
