The drop is consistent with seasonal month-on-month (MoM) decreases seen in previous years, though smaller than the 9-per cent decrease over the same period last year.
In November, US container imports from China also declined MoM by 7.5 per cent, ending a four-month stretch of volumes exceeding 900,000 TEUs, and were 13.2 per cent lower than the peak in July 2024 (1,022,913 TEUs).
November 2024 imports from China increased by 13.3 per cent year on year (YoY), reflecting the overall upward trend in 2024, a release from the Canadian company said.
November 2024 imports reflect a softer seasonal slowdown compared to November 2023.
TEU volume in November this year was higher by 12.8 per cent year on year (YoY), and up a remarkable 24.6 per cent from pre-pandemic November 2019. Compared to the first 11 months of 2019, import volumes have grown by 17.6 per cent over the same period in 2024.
These results continue to underscore the strength of U.S. container imports throughout 2024, Descartes noted. Notably, total imports for the first 11 months (25,829,192 TEUs) of 2024 have already surpassed the 12-month total (24,957,640 TEUs) for 2023 by 871,552 TEUs, or 3.5 per cent.
In November this year, container import volumes at the top 10 US ports declined by 140,242 TEUs, a 6.6 per cent decrease MoM.
Tacoma (up 4,677 TEUs) was the only port that recorded a volume increase. The remaining nine ports all recorded volume decreases, with the ports of Long Beach (down 64,187 TEUs), New York/New Jersey (down 43,969 TEUs), and Los Angeles (down 12,888 TEUs) experiencing the most significant MoM declines.
In November 2024, U.S. container import volume from the top 10 countries of origin fell by 116,104 TEUs, representing a 6.4 per cent decline MoM. Among these, Germany (up 5,950 TEUs) and Italy (up 3,693 TEUs) experienced the largest volume increases. In contrast, China (down 72,235 TEUs), Vietnam (down 27,148 TEUs), and Thailand (down 12,774 TEUs) recorded the most significant volume decreases.
ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)
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