IMPORT/EXPORT
U.S. Ports to See a Rising Tide of Imports
Imports at the nation’s ports are expected to increase 2.7 percent in April over the same month last year and inch up 4.7 percent during the first six months of this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
In its monthly Global Tracker Report, released April 8, the retail federation said it hopes that more imports doesn’t mean delays at customs.
Previously, the NRF warned that federal spending cuts meant that customs officials were planning staff furloughs and reductions in overtime that could add as much as four to five days to getting cargo cleared.
The NRF has been sitting in on weekly conference calls between customs officials and key trade associations talking about what impact government spending cuts, also known as sequestration, could have on importers. The retail group now feels that with the recent passage of the fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill by Congress, customs may be able to mitigate some of the effects of budget cuts.
“The impact of sequestration isn’t yet fully known, but customs officials are working hard to manage their resources and keep cargo moving,” said Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Between their efforts to avoid delays and retailers’ adjustments to compensate, we’re not expecting consumers to see any difference on store shelves at this point. We are working closely with customs to ensure that that remains the case.”
Efficient customs operations will be key for the rest of the year as imports at U.S. ports are predicted to rise in the next coming months.
The NRF said March imports were up 2.6 percent over last year, at 1.28 million 20-foot containers. April is forecast to be at 1.35 million containers, up 2.7 over last year. May imports should rise 3.2 percent to 1.42 million containers. June will see a 1.8 percent increase at 1.42 million containers. July is expected to experience a 1.5 percent jump with 1.45 million containers, but August will see a slowdown with only a .25 percent increase with 1.44 million containers.
The first six months of 2013 will experience a 4.7 percent rise over last year with 8.1 million containers. Shipments in 2012 totaled 15.9 million containers, up 3.4 percent over 2011. “Economic indicators continue to present a mixed picture of the prospects for the remainder of the year,” said Ben Hackett, whose Hackett Associates consulting firm produced the Global Tracker Report with the NRF.
