15.09.14US Retail Imports Begin to Climb As Holidays Approach

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 1.2 percent this month over the same time last year as retailers head toward the holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail

Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.62 million TEUs in July, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 2.9 percent from June and 8.1 percent from July 2014.

August was estimated at 1.6 million TEUs, up 5.5 percent from 2014. September is forecast at 1.61 million TEUs, up 1.2 percent from last year; October at 1.62 million TEUs, up 3.8 percent; November at 1.5 million TEU, up 7.9 percent, and December at 1.44 million TEU, down 0.2 percent.

Those numbers would bring 2015 to a total of 18.2 million TEU, up 5.4 percent from last year. The first half of 2015 totaled 8.9 million TEU, up 6.5 percent over the same period last year.