Following a three-month stretch of gains from March through April, United States-bound waterborne shipments fell in June, according to data recently issued by global trade intelligence firm Panjiva. The gains from March through April followed a decline in February, which was the first one in 24 months.
June shipments––at 1,010,429––were off 2.7% annually, and on a year-to-date basis, shipments through June––at 5,985,325––are up 1.6% compared to the same period a year ago, while containerized freight was off 3%. What’s more, Panjiva noted that June represented the first non-seasonal (Lunar New Year) decline going back to June 2016, with second quarter growth down to 0.5% annually, compared to growth rates of 2.7% in the first quarter and 9.4% for all of 2018.
