Zepol Corporation, the leading trade intelligence company,reports that import shipment volume for February, measured in TEUs, decreased 9.94% from January and increased 9.03% over February 2010. The total number of shipments also decreased 11.09% from January and increased 7.27% over last February. Year to date, total TEUs are up 13.24% this year over last year.

Key Statistics from this Month's Update:

  • Asian origin volumes fell to levels seen in December 2010, decreasing 11.42% from January to February of this year. Imports from Central America, measured in TEUs, rose 4.88% from January to February as fresh fruit imports took an upward turn.
  • Ports on the Atlantic Coast show the greatest increases in volumes for February 2011 over January 2011. The most noteworthy increases were West Palm Beach, FL and Chester, PA with increases of 37.86% and 18.73% respectively. Overall, levels dropped on the Pacific coast with an overall average decrease of 14.15% from January.
  • Maersk Line continues to hold the top Carrier spot, however, experienced a volume decline of 10% from January to February of this year.

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 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.