U.S. 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 of 2011, total TEUs are up 0.98 percent from 2010.

Key Statistics from this month's update:

1. TEU imports from China decreased this year by 0.75% from 2010, while imports from South Korea rose by 5.3%. Total 2011 imports from Asia did not have a significant change, but dropped a slight 0.5%. Imports from Europe went up in 2011 by 8.5%, partly due to a 12.2% increase seen from Germany and a 19.3% rise from Belgium. South American imports also grew in 2011 by 3.6%, with moderate rises from Chile and Ecuador.

2. The top port for 2011, Los Angeles, exhibited a 1.8% increase in inbound TEUs while the Port of Seattle posted a 14% drop from the previous year. Nearly 16% of 2011 imports entered through the Ports of Newark and New York, which also saw a 2.6% increase from the previous year.

3. For master carriers, the rise in inbound TEU imports was seen by Mediterranean Shipping Company with an 11% increase and was the second largest carrier this year. At the top of the carriers list was Maersk Line, which slightly decreased from last year by .07%. APL also dropped 7% and was ranked third for the year of 2011.

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 containerized 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.

Source: Zepol Corporation