"The month-to-month dips and jumps seen from imports in 2013 have averaged out to be pretty average indeed," says Zepol CEO Paul Rasmussen. "The first half of the year posted container volume to match that of 2012. Although, 2013 still has the potential to rise above in July and August, which are the busiest months for U.S. imports."

Quick Stats for U.S. Imports in June of 2013:

1. Exporting Countries - U.S imports from Asia are down 1.5% from May and another 1.2% for the first half of the year. Imports from China are down a half a percentage so far in 2013 along with South Korea, which decreased 2.8% and Japan another 6%. Exports from Europe have declined by 7.6% from last month but are up 0.6% for the first half of the year. German exports to the United States have declined 0.4% from 2012, but Italy has increased 5.3% this year.

2. U.S. Ports - Compared to the first half of 2012, the Port of Los Angeles is down in TEU volume by 9.3%. The Ports of Newark and New York have also dropped about 5% for the first half of the year. Savannah, the fourth busiest port, is down 3%, although the Port of Norfolk, Virginia, increased in TEU volume by 4.8%, which maintains its spot from 2012 as the fifth busiest port.

3. Carriers - Maersk Line, the top carrier in the United States, decreased in TEUs by 8.4% from last year and Mediterranean Shipping Company also decreased in cargo by nearly 2%. Although, two top carriers increased for the first half of the year. Evergreen Line and APL Co. both posted increases of 2% and 9%, respectively.

Zepol's data is derived from bills of lading entered into U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Automated Commercial Environment. This information represents the number of house manifests entered by importers of waterborne vessel goods. The data excludes shipments from empty containers, excludes shipments labeled as freight remaining on board, and may contain other data anomalies.

Source: Zepol Corp.