News
Monthly inbound cargo volume at U.S. major container ports is expected to reach its highest level in nearly two years this summer, according to the Global Port Tracker report released recently by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said an expected seven-month string of import levels above two million TEUs is partly due to changes in the annual peak season for shipping.
The U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.02 million TEUs in April, up 4.6% from March and up 13.2% year over year, which was the highest number since 2.06 million TEUs last October. The ports have not yet reported May’s numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected that volumes rose to 2.09 million TEUs, up 8.3% for the highest level since 2.26 million TEUs in August 2022. June is forecast to go even higher at 2.11 million TEUs, up 15.2%. July is estimated at 2.1 million TEUs, up 9.5%; August at 2.17 million TEUs, up 10.6%; September at 2.06 million TEUs, up 1.7%, and October at 2.01 million TEUs, down 2.3%. The first half of 2024 is expected to total 12.1 million TEUs, up 15% from the same period last year.
