However, compared to October, import volumes declined
by 6.6%. For the first 11 months of 2023, imports totalled 18.59 million TEUs,
translating to an increase of 16.4%, nearing the record set during the same
period in 2021. Overall, US container
imports in November stood at 2.39 million TEUs, up 14.3% year-on-year.
Imports by Origin
Among the 10 Asian economies, the largest contributors
to the US imports were: China: 983,573 TEUs (+15.8%)South Korea: 193,858 TEUs
(+10.9%)Vietnam: 177,978 TEUs (+20.5%)India: 81,384 TEUs (+29.5%)Taiwan: 76,978
TEUs (+19.3%) and Japan (8th largest): 37,216 TEUs (+6.5%)
Exports to Asia
Meanwhile, US container exports to the 10 Asian
economies totalled 464,131 TEUs in October, representing a 2.1% decrease from
September and a slight 0.3% drop from October 2023. Key export destinations
included: China:
105,746 TEUs (-22.1%) South Korea: 65,203 TEUs (+36.6%) Vietnam: 49,748 TEUs
(+22.2%) Indonesia: 48,792 TEUs (+12.1%) and Japan: 47,374 TEUs (-2.3%)
These statistics
reflect robust US-Asia trade flows, with imports maintaining strong
year-on-year growth despite recent month-to-month fluctuations.