Zepol's "U.S. Import and Export Summary" was created for importers, suppliers, customs brokers, and trade professionals in all industries to gain a better understanding of the U.S. trade market thus far in 2011. We summarize key trends and top performers as well as important developments in the industry. The report provides detailed information on U.S. ports, carriers, consignees, and more.

3 Key Insights Found in the Report:

1. The Port of Baltimore increased TEUs imported by 10% from last year, while the Port of Seattle saw a decrease of 13%.
   
2. Ranked second on our Master Carrier list, Mediterranean Shipping Company posted a 17% increase in TEUs shipped from last year, and is one of the few carriers that exhibited an increase.
3. The value of imports from Saudi Arabia rose 46% this year over last year due to the increased price of oil.

Click this link to download the free report

Whether intended or not, products imported to the United States that fail to comply with all rules and regulations, experience dire consequences. The recent federal raid of Gibson Guitar Corporation proves that the compliance procedure should not be taken lightly. On August 24th, federal agents raided the guitar company’s factory and seized guitars, wood, and electronic records. Agents explained the raid was due to illegal ebony and rosewood being imported from India. Indian law states that unfinished goods of this type of wood cannot be exported; only finished goods are permitted for export. Due to the amendment of the Lacey Act in 2008 which prohibits the purchase of products exported in violation of a foreign country's laws, Gibson Guitars is held liable.

Even though the company utilizes a broker to aid their import process of wood, the legal responsibility rests on the importer. Zepol’s ComplianceMonitor™ tool was created to assist in ensuring import compliance for importers as well as brokers. The tool proactively alerts users when critical compliance information changes for the products they import, thereby saving valuable time and potential severe penalties.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its Merchandise Trade data numbers on September 8th for July 2011. The Merchandise Trade balance narrowed from a deficit of $69.5 billion in June to a deficit of $66.3 billion in July.

Below is an in-depth breakdown of the U.S. Census Merchandise Trade data. This month we have highlighted 3 interesting items that we found while looking at July's data:

1. U.S. Pacific ports show healthy gains
   
2. Value of air cargo looks skyward
   
3. Exports to Australia on the rise

Click here for Zepol's U.S. Census Merchandise Trade Data Update for July 2011

In the past few years, shale gas has surfaced as an alternative energy source due to considerable advancements in the technology of its extraction and exploration. Although this method has been in the news as a controversial form of extraction for energy, it is still a method that has seen increasing use, particularly in the United States.

Shale gas is produced from shale and is a natural gas. It has become a more widely used form of natural gas, however, there is some controversy as to the effects on the environment from extraction and use. Due to recent advancements, shale gas can now be extracted by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and also horizontal drilling.

By far, Canada is the largest exporter of shale to the United States. The graph below illustrates that in Quarter 2 of 2011, we see the highest value of imports from Canada since Quarter 3 of 2008. Although there has been a large fluctuation in the import of shale, the overall trend is rising. As we continue to seek alternative energy sources, we will continue to see imports of shale.