US retail container traffic to drop this month, but rise next

MAJOR retail container ports in the US are expected to experience a "lull" in September before setting a new monthly traffic record in October, according to the Port Tracker report compiled by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight.

"We're clearly in peak season," said Global Insight economist Paul Bingham. "August was an all-time record and even September's 'lull' will be higher than where the record stood two years ago."

"Despite the increase in volume, ports are operating without congestion, there are no problems with port trucking, and rail performance is acceptable. Shippers can have confidence that the system will have adequate capacity to provide for acceptable performance for the remainder of the year."

Despite predictions, the report shows major west coast ports, Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle, and east coast New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah are not suffering congestion.

Collectively, container ports surveyed handled 1.46 million TEU in July, an increase of 4.9 per cent from over 2006.

Ports in the survey handled an estimated 1.52 million TEU in August, up 2.3 per cent year on year. Throughput is expected to fall to 1.48 million TEU in September, as it did during the same month last year.

October is forecast to set a new record high at 1.54 million TEU, up 2 per cent from last year, a statement from the National Retail Federation said.