The volume of containers imported into the US dropped sharply

Port of Los Angeles (Photo: Union Pacific)

 
According to the latest McCown report, import container throughput fell 5.5% in September. This is a decline not seen since the early stages of the pandemic and is larger than the 0.3% seen in the previous month. July and 0.6% in August.

"West Coast ports drove that overall weakness with a 17.0% decrease overall that was among the biggest drops in years," the report said. Before that, the decline was 11.5% in August and 5.1% in July.

While port congestion figures continue to improve, the East Coast shift for US imports has increased. Output increased 6.6% for East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, led by New York and Houston ports. The report said concerns about labor unrest on the West Coast could be to blame for the shift to the East Coast.

September marked the 16th consecutive month where East and Gulf ports outperformed West Coast ports in growth rates. Los Angeles was the weakest port in September, down 26.3 percent year-over-year. Houston, Charleston and New York were the fastest growing ports.

“With signs of slowing volume, the final quarter of 2022 is likely to show less inbound loads than the year earlier quarter,” the report said.

While this report does not address the underlying causes of the drop in container throughput, other market reports have pointed to inflation in advanced economies and low consumer confidence as negative factors for container volume. For the United States in particular, many reports cited high retailers' inventories as another reason for the drop in output.

Read more:

• ONE forecasts profit lower as market demand and freight rates decrease
• World container freight rates fell for the 35th consecutive week

Source: Phaata.com (According to SeatradeMaritime)

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