US west coast ports import box share falls below 50 per cent in 2015
US EAST and Gulf Coast ports have been winning the market share battle in overall US containerised ocean trade since 2008, and in 2015 they overcame west coast ports in containerised imports, too.
In 2000, US west coast ports handled 56.8 per cent of all US containerised imports. By 2014 that share had dropped to 52.4 per cent, and then to 49.5 per cent last year.
That's a market share loss of 7.3 per centage points over the 16 years, according to a study by Marsha Salisbury, research editor of IHS Media.
Her data shows the rate of growth among west coast ports has hit a slump that goes well beyond a year-end 2014 anomaly tied to congestion related to protracted longshore labour talks and that erosion in growth has continued into 2015.
East and Gulf Coast ports handled 58.9 per cent of US containerised exports in 2000, rising to 60.6 per cent in 2014 and 63.1 per cent in 2015, a climb of 4.1 per centage points over the same span.
Mainland China again was the primary trading partner of US west coast ports, accounting for 36.4 per cent of the 4.4 million TEU in coastal US exports and 62.4 per cent of the 9.9 million TEU in US imports.
Japan ranked second, with 13.4 per cent of the export trade and 4.8 per cent of the import trade. Upstart Vietnam, with 4.8 per cent of the US west coast import trade, spiked 6.5 per cent above 2014 and ranked third among US import partners in 2015.
Among the top 10 US west coast export trading partners, sixth-ranked Vietnam was the only country to register year-on-year growth last year, with exports to the US west coast up 7.7 per cent.
US EAST and Gulf Coast ports have been winning the market share battle in overall US containerised ocean trade since 2008, and in 2015 they overcame west coast ports in containerised imports, too.
In 2000, US west coast ports handled 56.8 per cent of all US containerised imports. By 2014 that share had dropped to 52.4 per cent, and then to 49.5 per cent last year.
That's a market share loss of 7.3 per centage points over the 16 years, according to a study by Marsha Salisbury, research editor of IHS Media.
Her data shows the rate of growth among west coast ports has hit a slump that goes well beyond a year-end 2014 anomaly tied to congestion related to protracted longshore labour talks and that erosion in growth has continued into 2015.
East and Gulf Coast ports handled 58.9 per cent of US containerised exports in 2000, rising to 60.6 per cent in 2014 and 63.1 per cent in 2015, a climb of 4.1 per centage points over the same span.
Mainland China again was the primary trading partner of US west coast ports, accounting for 36.4 per cent of the 4.4 million TEU in coastal US exports and 62.4 per cent of the 9.9 million TEU in US imports.
Japan ranked second, with 13.4 per cent of the export trade and 4.8 per cent of the import trade. Upstart Vietnam, with 4.8 per cent of the US west coast import trade, spiked 6.5 per cent above 2014 and ranked third among US import partners in 2015.
Among the top 10 US west coast export trading partners, sixth-ranked Vietnam was the only country to register year-on-year growth last year, with exports to the US west coast up 7.7 per cent.