Retail Container Traffic Will Rise Next Year
Retail container traffic at U.S. ports was down slightly during the second half of 2007. But things are expected to pick up by early next year.
According to the National Retail Federation, August-through-November traffic showed a steady decline compared with the same time period in 2006.
Traffic will be slow for a while before picking up.
“Month-to-month numbers are declining as we head into the winter slow season, but we’re starting to see increases again when year-toyear numbers are compared,” said Jonathan Gold, the trade group’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy, in a statement. NRF, based in Washington, D.C., represents some of the country’s largest retailers.
In November, container traffic, at 1.38 million 20-foot containers, was down for a fourth month in a row. November experienced a 2.2 percent decline compared with November 2006.
December figures aren’t officially in, but the NRF estimates U.S. container traffic will total 1.35 million containers, a 3.3 percent jump from December 2006.
January is also expected to see a 1.8 percent rise. Then in February, the slowest shipping month of the year, cargo will dip 5.5 percent before hitting its stride in a steady, upward swing.
The good news is that none of the ports tracked by the NRF on the East or West Coast had any congestion problems. —Deborah Belgum
