According to Zepol's online database of U.S. imports,
TradeIQ™, May's U.S. vessel imports are up another 5.6% from April. May had the highest TEU volume so far for 2012 and, looking at the past year's trends, there is potential for further growth in the coming summer months.
The table below shows continental port regions of the world where U.S. import shipments originated:
| Port Region |
May 2012
Shipments
|
Percent Change
over April 2012
|
Percent Change
over May 2011
|
| Asia |
547,501
|
4.00%
|
1.40%
|
| Europe |
126,618
|
3.13%
|
8.85%
|
| Central America
|
50,518
|
-0.69%
|
9.60%
|
South America
|
19,303
|
-6.76%
|
-6.23%
|
Middle East
|
11,104
|
11.88%
|
6.35%
|
| Other
|
9,750
|
7.63%
|
6.44%
|
Australia, New Zealand and Oceania
|
6,570
|
10.40%
|
4.39%
|
Africa
|
3,152
|
21.65%
|
-23.74%
|
| North America
|
2,977
|
25.51%
|
12.64%
|
| Total |
781,338
|
3.66%
|
2.92%
|
Below is the trend of the last 13 months showing total TEU volume and shipments as seen in Zepol's monthly vessel import press release:
Methodology:
Zepol’s data is derived from Bills of Lading entered into the Automated Manifest System. This information represents the number of House manifests entered by importers of waterborne vessel goods. This is the earliest indicator for trade data available for the previous month’s import activity. The data excludes shipments from empty containers, excludes shipments labeled as freight remaining on board, and may contain other data anomalies.