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U.S. Waterborne Trade 2011: Record Exports, Strong Lakes Traffic Spur Rise in Total Tonnage

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America’s waterborne commerce grew in 2011 for the second year in a row, with total volume up 2.1 percent from the year before to almost 2.4 billion short tons, according to data compiled and reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center in New Orleans. That was short of the record 2.6 billion tons reached in 2006 and trailed the 10-year, 2001-2010 average by 2.9 percent. Total tonnage includes foreign (i.e., import/export) and domestic cargo shipped through the coastal, Great Lakes, non-contiguous and inland waterway ports of the United States.

Exports turned in the most spectacular performance, jumping 9.4 percent to a record 610 million tons. Imports, however, fell 1.6 percent from 2009 to 869 million tons, well below the billion-ton levels achieved earlier in the decade. The domestic trades also posted declines, with the exception of the Great Lakes, where tonnage was up 9.1 percent from 2010. The long-term trend remained negative for all segments of domestic trade, especially coastwise movements.

U.S. WATERBORNE COMMERCE 1991 - 2011

Millions of Short Tons

 

2011

Average Annual Change

Tons

Versus 2010

5 year (2007-2011)

10 year (2002-2011)

20 year (1992-2011)

FOREIGN TRADE

Imports

869.1

-1.6%

-5.0%

-0.6%

2.9%

Exports

610.4

9.4%

7.3%

4.6%

1.8%

TOTAL FOREIGN

1,479.5

2.7%

-0.9%

1.1%

2.1%

DOMESTIC TRADE

Coastwise

161.0

-2.1%

-4.3%

-3.1%

-2.9%

Lakewise

87.9

9.1%

-0.1%

-0.1%

-0.2%

Internal

553.6

-2.1%

-2.3%

-1.0%

-0.3%

 TOTAL DOMESTIC (*)

887.9

-0.6%

-2.7%

-1.5%

-0.9%

TOTAL COMMERCE

2367.4

1.4%

-1.6%

0.0%

0.7%

(*) Total domestic also includes “local” and “intraport” cargo

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center


Based on total tonnage, the top-ranked U.S. ports in 2011 were South Louisiana, Houston, New York/New Jersey, Long Beach and New Orleans. South Louisiana also ranked first in domestic cargo and exports, while Houston led the nation in imports and total foreign trade. Duluth/Superior stood first among U.S. Great Lakes ports. Huntington on the Ohio River was the leading shallow-draft inland waterway port. The attachment presents Top 35 port rankings based on domestic, foreign and total cargo tonnage. 
 

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