US share of global container throughput falling
The United States' share of global container shipping is down even though throughput at US ports has more than doubled over the last decade.
The US Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said on Monday that an estimated 46.3 million container shipments passed through US ports last year, up from 42 million in 2005 and 22.6 million in 1996.
However, the US share of global shipments has fallen from 15% out of 151 million of worldwide container traffic in 1996 to 11% from an estimated 417 million last year.
US ports overall are currently the second-busiest in the world behind China, which has been number one worldwide since overtaking the US in 1998, a Bureau report said.
The report also found that container shipments in the US are concentrated in the top 10 US ports, which are capable of handling the largest ocean-going vessels.
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| 11% of worldwide container traffic puts US second behind China |
However, the US share of global shipments has fallen from 15% out of 151 million of worldwide container traffic in 1996 to 11% from an estimated 417 million last year.
US ports overall are currently the second-busiest in the world behind China, which has been number one worldwide since overtaking the US in 1998, a Bureau report said.
The report also found that container shipments in the US are concentrated in the top 10 US ports, which are capable of handling the largest ocean-going vessels.
The report added that the average size of container ships rose more than 18% from 2000 to 2005.
Cowan Thant Zin | Tue Apr 24 07:27 GMT 2007