"This year has not seen a rise in imports from 2012, although 2013 may be a stronger year in terms of holiday business," says Zepol's CEO Paul Rasmussen, "July and August are the two busiest months as American retailers prep for the holidays and this July had a much higher import volume than expected."

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

1. Exporting Countries - U.S. imports from Asia are up this month by 13%. Asian exports account for a large portion of the total increase from June. More specifically China, which makes up for over half of Asia's exports, has increased TEU volume by 12% from June and 2% from July of last year. Exports from China to the United States are over 779,000 TEUs this July and have not been this high since August of 2011. Similarly, European exports were 18% higher than last month. Germany, which makes up for almost a quarter of Europe's exports to the United States, has increased by 10,000 TEUs from June, which amounts to over 50,000 TEUs this July.

2. U.S. Ports - The Port of Los Angeles saw an increase in TEU volume by almost 13% from June to July. The Port of Newark and New York increased in imports by a significant 22% from June. Another notable increase came from the Port of Norfolk, which saw a 26% increase from last month.

3. Carriers - All of the top 20 carriers posted a rise in TEU volume from June to July. Maersk Line, the top carrier in the United States, rose from June by nearly 19% and Mediterranean Shipping Company was not far behind with a 17% increase. APL Company also increased in U.S. imports by 13% and Evergreen Line increased in TEUs by 4.5%.

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 and those labeled as freight remaining on board, and may contain other data anomalies.

Source: Zepol Corporation