U.S. Import Volume Up 11.9% in March, and 2.6% for Quarter, Zepol Says
U.S. import shipment volume for March, measured in TEUs, increased 11.9% from February, according to figures from trade information company Zepol. It said that's not a surprise because of comparison to February's low numbers. More significant is the total 2.6% rise in TEUs for Q1 of 2012, compared to Q1 of 2011, Zepol said, as well as the 6.2% rise this March from March of 2011.
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Other findings in the report:
- U.S. imports from China grew 12.3% from February, but dropped from January by 20%. For the quarter, imports from China for Q1 of 2012 were up by a mere 0.1% from Q1 of 2011.
- Imports from Germany rose 20% in March from February, and 15.4% in Q1 of 2012 from Q1 of 2011.
- The Port of Los Angeles increased in imports by 22.4% from February, but is down 10.6% from January. The Port of Long Beach rose in March by 26.8% but was still lower than January imports by 13%.
- The Port of Houston and the Port of Charleston both rose over 11% in Q1, and were the only ports in the top-ten-list to show increases over 10%.
- Few Vessel-Operating Common Carriers (VOCCs) rose in TEU imports from February and almost all were down from January numbers. Evergreen Line decreased 12.9% from February and 13% from January. But Mediterranean Shipping Company increased 13.7% from February and 2.4% from January, the only top-ten VOCC to rise from January imports in March.