Imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports continue to show double-digit growth over last year as strong consumer demand drives traffic, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report issued by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Ports operating in the United States covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.33 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in May, the latest month for which final numbers are available, NRF noted, up 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 in March.
Although ports have not reported June numbers yet, Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.15 million TEU, up 33.8% from the year-earlier period. In that case, the first half of 2021 would see 12.8 million TEU move through tracked ports, up 35.6% from the period a year prior. The July forecast is for 2.21 million TEU, up 15.1% for the month year-over-year, with 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 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,” NRF VP/supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold stated. “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.”
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett pointed out, “Operational constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the surge in consumer demand have severely strained the logistics supply chain. The level of growth in the last year has put unprecedented pressure on importers, carriers and domestic transportation providers alike.”
Global Port Tracker will release its forecast for December next month, but, according to NRF, 2021 is on track to grow 16.7% over 2020’s full-year total of 22 million TEU. Cargo imports during 2020 were up 1.9% over 2019 despite the pandemic. A TEU is one 20-foot container or equivalent.
