Trade intelligence company Zepol Corporation reports that US import shipment volume for December, measured in TEUs, decreased 8.2 percent from November, but increased 1.5 percent from December of 2010.
The total number of inbound shipments decreased 6.5 percent from November and increased 2.3 percent from December of last year. For the year 2011 as a whole, total TEUs are up 0.98 percent from 2010.
TEU imports from China decreased this year by 0.75 percent from 2010, while imports from South Korea rose by 5.3 percent. Imports from Europe went up in 2011 by 8.5 percent, partly due to a 12.2 percent increase seen from Germany and a 19.3 percent rise from Belgium. South American imports also grew in 2011 by 3.6 percent, with moderate rises from Chile and Ecuador.
The top port for 2011, Los Angeles, showed a 1.8 percent increase in inbound TEUs while the Port of Seattle posted a 14 percent drop from the previous year. Nearly 16 percent of 2011 imports entered through the Ports of Newark and New York, which also saw a 2.6 percent increase from the previous year.
At the top of the carriers list was Maersk Line, which slightly decreased from last year by .07 percent, while the Mediterranean Shipping Company jumped into second place with an 11 percent increase, pushing APL into third spot.
