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Demand for kitchen appliances, furniture, big-screen TVs,
apparel and other retail goods softened late last year as record
inflation bit into disposable income and consumers shifted
spending back to travel and other previously restricted
activities.
December 2022 U.S. container import volume topped 1.9 million
20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to Descartes Systems
Group. That was down 19% from the year earlier, but 1% above
December 2019, the logistics software provider said. Then, the
pandemic spawned an unexpected container cargo surge that
overwhelmed seaports and upended global supply chains.
"The December U.S. container import data points to less pressure
on supply chains and logistics operations, but there are still a
number of issues that may cause further disruptions in 2023,"
said Chris Jones, an executive vice president at Descartes.
Those include outbreak risks from new variants of the virus that
causes COVID, Russia's war in Ukraine, ongoing labor
negotiations at busy U.S. West Coast ports and the threat of
global recession, experts said.
Despite the sharp volume downturn in December, 2022 is shaping
to be the second-busiest year after 2021 for U.S. container
imports.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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