Container Traffic at U.S. Ports Sets Record
That cargo just keeps on coming.
August was a record month for container traffic at the nation’s major retail container ports. While September is expected to be even with last year, October is expected to set another monthly record high.
According to the National Retail Federation and Global Insight, an economic forecasting firm, national port container traffic in August was up 2.3 percent to 1.52 million 20-foot containers (TEUs), breaking the previous August record of 1.51 million TEUs.
Volume should drop in September to 1.48 million TEUs and then rev up in October to beat another all-time record with 1.54 million TEUs.
After October, the busiest shipping month of the year, cargo volumes should start to decline but still be record-breaking.
“Despite the increase in volume, ports are operating without congestion, there are no problems with port trucking and rail performance is acceptable,” said Global Insight economist Paul Bingham. —Deborah Belgum
