Panama Canal limits could help west coast ports as imports decline again

New York last month regained its status as the top container port in the US for import volume, while the non-appearance so far of a peak season brought another double-digit decline in throughput at the top ten gateways.

According to the McCown Report, total containerised imports at the busiest ports last month fell 12.5% year on year, to 1,828,320 teu – the 10th consecutive month where the decrease has been above 10%.

And coastal shift continued at pace during July, with US east and Gulf coast ports handling 1,022,445 teu in import boxes, a 4.4% decline on July 22. This compares with a huge 21% YoY slump on the west coast, to 805,875 teu.

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