Import volumes at major U.S. container ports were forecast to hit an all-time high in August as retailers concerned about the lack of a West Coast longshoremen’s contract rush to bring holiday-season merchandise into the country, according to the monthly “Global Port Tracker” report released Aug. 11 by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the consulting firm Hackett Associates. The final numbers for August were not available as DC VELOCITY went to press.

Import volumes at U.S. ports covered by “Global Port Tracker” were forecast to total 1. 54 million containers in August, which analysts expect will be the peak for the year. That’s the highest monthly volume since NRF began tracking import volumes in 2000, topping the previous record of 1. 53 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) set in July. (One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.)

The contract between the Pacific Maritime Association
(PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse
Union (ILWU) expired on July 1. As of press time, dock-
workers remained on the job as both sides continued to
negotiate in the hopes of reaching a new agreement. Both
U.S. ports monitored by the report handled 1. 48 million
TEUs in June, the latest month for which actual numbers
are available. That was down 0.38 percent from May but up
9. 1 percent from June 2013.

July’s total was estimated at 1. 53 million TEUs, up 5. 8 percent from the same month last year. September is projected to reach 1. 48 million TEUs, up 2. 8 percent from last year. October is also projected to hit 1. 48 million TEUs, up 3. 3 percent from year-earlier levels.

Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the volume surges reflect an improving U.S. economy and decisions by retailers to expedite their import flows due to uncertainty surrounding the contract negotiations.

“U.S. [gross domestic product] has increased in 11 out of the last 12 quarters, confirming that we are in a sustained period of expansion,” Hackett said in a statement. However, he added, “a significant portion” of the import gains have come from importers moving up their orders and deliveries to safeguard their supply chains against potential labor-related disruptions.

U.S. ports covered by “Global Port Tracker” include Los Angeles/Long Beach and Oakland, Calif.; Seattle and Tacoma, Wash.; New York/New Jersey; Hampton Roads, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Port Everglades and Miami, Fla.; and Houston, Texas.

Labor worries could spur record-high ocean imports in August, report says

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