Insights - July 2015 - (Page 15)

2013-2015 YEARLY TRAFFIC TOTALS BY MONTH Source: IANA Equipment Type, Size and Ownership data file For more information on IANA's data and statistics products, visit www.intermodal.org or contact Tara Mullen at 301-982-3400, ext. 366. Freight Reports Import Volumes Back to Normal Following record activity as backlogs cleared in the wake of labor woes, import volume at leading U.S. containerports is leveling off. According to the June 9 Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, the nation's top containerports combined to handle 1.52 million twenty-footequivalent units of import containers in April, down 12.4 percent from the all-time high of 1.73 million TEUs in March but up 6.1 percent from April 2014. The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union both voted in May to ratify the new five-year contract agreed upon in February. Lack of a contract and operational issues led to crisis-level congestion at West Coast ports after the previous agreement expired last July. "Despite some lingering labor issues, the volume of cargo and the rate of growth have both largely settled down," said Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "There are still congestion issues to be dealt with but we're hoping to see reasonably normal back-to-school and holiday seasons this year now that the tensions of contract negotiations are behind us." Hackett Associates' founder, Ben Hackett, commented, "The West Coast recovery remains sluggish, and the East Coast is not managing to hold onto the growth levels it has experienced over the past few months." Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, Houston, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades and Miami. Intermodal Growth Continues but at a Slower Pace Intermodal growth slowed in May, but remained positive, according to the Intermodal Association of North America. Domestic volumes fell 1.3 percent compared to May 2014, including a 0.3 percent decline in domestic container shipments. However, international containers moved to offset these losses with a 4.5 percent gain. The net result was a 1.7 percent increase in total intermodal movements over the previous year. Year-to-date 2015 loadings were up 3.3 percent, led by a 5.7 percent gain in the number of domestic containers handled. International volumes were also up 2.8 percent from a year earlier. Freight - continued on page 19 July 2015 | Intermodal Insights 15 http://www.intermodal.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - July 2015

Contents
Fed Update
Highway Funding to Expire July 31
Changes to IANA Bylaws Proposed
U. of Md., IANA Team on Intermodal Job Portal
Information Services News
Exclusive Report: Fed Economist to Share Outlook at Intermodal EXPO 2015
Exclusive Report: Asset-Tracking Advances from ‘Dots on Map’
Freight Reports
Yearly Traffic Chart
EXPO Education Session by Stakeholder Interests
State Legislative Update
Port News
Seattle, Tacoma Advance Alliance
Federal Official Tours PSI Plant
People in the News
In Brief
2015 Sponsors
New Members
Industry Calendar

Insights - July 2015