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NRF: April Container Traffic Will Rise
April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on April 12, 2012
Import volume at major U.S. container ports should increase 3.2 percent in April 2012 compared with April last year, according to the new Global Port Tracker report.
The report predicted year-over-year gains will continue through the end of summer. Global Port Tracker is compiled for the National Retail Federation by Hackett Associates.
"Retailers are continuing to watch rising gas prices, but job gains and other indicators show the economy is strengthening," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. "All of this should improve consumer confidence and lead to increased spending, so retailers are cautiously building up their inventories."¨¨U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.04 million 20-foot Equivalent Units in February, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. With February traditionally the slowest month of the year, that was down 16 percent from January and 5.7 percent from February 2011. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.¨¨March was estimated at 1.19 million TEU, up 9.6 percent from a year ago, and April is forecast at 1.25 million TEU, up 3.2 percent from last year. May is forecast at 1.29 million TEU, the same as last year; June at 1.29 million TEU, up 3.6 percent; July at 1.35 million TEU, up 1.9 percent, and August at 1.42 million TEU, up 7.4 percent.¨¨The first half of 2012 should total 7.3 million TEU, up 2.2 percent from the same period last year. The total for 2011 was 14.8 million TEU, up 0.4 percent from 2010s 14.75 million TEU.
NRF continues to project 2012 retail sales will grow 3.4 percent to $2.53 trillion.¨¨"Our forecast for the remainder of the year has brought us back to the traditional peak season patterns," Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. "Hopefully the importers and the carriers can work closely together to ensure sufficient capacity and a solid supply chain."¨¨Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.