Slows down the flow of containerized imports to the US

"Consumers are still buying, but growth of the loads we have witnessed in the last two years it seems slow down." This was said by Jonathan Gold, vice president of the National Retail Federation (NRF), the American association of the retail trade, commenting on the content of the "Global Port Tracker", the monthly report prepared by NRF together to Hackett Associates that detects the evolution of imports containerized in major U.S. container ports (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the coast Western, New York - New Jersey, the ports of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the east coast and Houston on the US Gulf Coast) and the state of American maritime and port traffic.

According to estimates, last month the traffic of containers at the disembarkation in the main national ports would have amounted to 2.17 million teu, with a decrease of -4.3% on August 2021. A September 2022 are expected 2.10 million teu, down by -1.8% on the same month last year, while - according to the report - next October the traffic will stand at 2.10 million of teu (-4.8%), in November to 2.04 million teu (-3.3%) and to December to 2.01 million teu (-4.0%).

Referring to the data of last July, when the traffic is state of 2,18 million teu, with a decrease of -3.1% compared to June 2022 and -0.4% compared to July 2021, Gold found that 'load volumes are well above levels pre-pandemic, but the growth rate has slowed and is even slipped into negative territory compared to volumes unusually high last year." 'The number of ships waiting to dock at the ports of the west coast - has added Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates - you reduced to an almost normal level, but with the displacement of some goods on the east coast congestion and pressure on ports moved to the east coast.

The latest issue of the "Global Port Tracker" highlights whereas in the first half of 2022 imports in containers through U.S. ports amounted to 13.5 million teu, with an increase of +5.5% on the first half of the year, while for the second half of 2022 the landings of 12,6 million teu, with a decrease of -3.1% on the period July-December of 2021. In the whole of 2022 the import traffic should therefore stand at 26.1 million teu, with an increase by +1.2% compared to the record of 25.8 million teu of the last year. In addition, the current negative trend is expected to continue in January 2023, month in which 2.11 million teu are expected in improtation (-2.6%).