THE US' major retail container ports handled a total of 18.8 million TEU in 2016, representing an increase of 3.2 per cent compared to 2015, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
It said the ports covered by the report handled 1.58 million TEU in December, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 3.8 per cent from November as the holiday season came to an end but up 10.2 per cent from December 2015, reported The Maritime Executive.
The Global Port Tracker report also stated that imports at these ports are expected to rise 4.6 per cent during the first half of 2017 over the same period last year as the nation's economy improves and retail sales continue to grow.
January was estimated at 1.59 million TEU, up 6.6 per cent year on year. February is forecast at 1.53 million TEU, down 0.6 per cent.
The ports covered by the report are: Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Houston.
