Imports at the largest retail container ports in the United States (US) are continuing to show double-digit growth over last year as strong consumer demand keeps up its momentum, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released on 8 July by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
“The year-over-year growth we saw this spring was off the charts because the comparisons were against a time when most stores were shut down due to the pandemic,” said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy, Jonathan Gold.
He went on to add, “But we’re continuing to see strong growth even as we enter a point when stores had begun to reopen last year. That’s a sign of the tremendous demand from consumers. The challenge for retailers and supply chains is keeping shelves stocked as port congestion and other supply chain disruptions continue to impact the industry and the economy more broadly.”
US ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.33 million TEU in May, which was increased by 8.6% from April and 52.2% from a year earlier.
The number set a new record for the most containers imported during a single month since NRF began tracking imports in 2002, topping the previous record of 2.27 million TEU set this March.
“Operational constraints brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic combined with the surge in consumer demand have severely strained the logistics supply chain,” noted Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett. “The level of growth in the last year has put unprecedented pressure on importers, carriers and domestic transportation providers alike.”
NRF has announced that July is forecast at 2.21 million TEU, up 15.1% year-over-year, August at 2.3 million TEU, up 9.4%, September at 2.16 million TEU, up 2.5%, October at 2.13 million TEU, down 3.7% for the first year-over-year decline since July 2020, and November at 2.06 million TEU, down 2%.
The current year is on track to grow 16.7% over 2020’s full-year total of 22 million TEU, while cargo imports during 2020 were up 1.9% over 2019 despite the pandemic, according to the NRF report.
