Ports have not reported June numbers yet, but Global Port Tracker report by NRF and Hackett Associates projected the month at 2.15 million TEU, which would be up 33.8 percent from the same time last year. That would bring the first half of 2021 to 12.8 million TEU, up 35.6 percent from the same period last year. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.

July is forecast at 2.21 million TEU, up 15.1 per cent year-over-year; August at 2.3 million TEU, up 9.4 per cent; September at 2.16 million TEU, up 2.5 per cent; October at 2.13 million TEU, down 3.7 per cent for the first year-over-year decline since July 2020; and November at 2.06 million TEU, down 2 per cent.

Global Port Tracker will not release its forecast for December until next month, but 2021 is on track to grow 16.7 percent over 2020’s full-year total of 22 million TEU. Cargo imports during 2020 were up 1.9 percent over 2019 despite the pandemic, as per the report.

“The year-over-year growth we saw this spring was off the charts because the comparisons were against a time when most stores were shut down due to the pandemic,” NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said. “But we’re continuing to see strong growth even as we enter a point when stores had begun to reopen last year. That’s a sign of the tremendous demand from consumers. The challenge for retailers and supply chains is keeping shelves stocked as port congestion and other supply chain disruptions continue to impact the industry and the economy more broadly.”

“Operational constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the surge in consumer demand have severely strained the logistics supply chain,” Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. “The level of growth in the last year has put unprecedented pressure on importers, carriers and domestic transportation providers alike.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)