First Half in Review 2014

Hanjin and HMM’s U.S. imports and exports were down in the first half compared with the same period a year ago despite general growth in both.

New online sales events such as Amazon's Prime Day increase demand for last-mile capacity.

Containerized furniture imports into the United States saw growth in the first half of 2014, as a strong number of shipments in the second quarter offset weak volumes in the first quarter.

Containerized footwear imports into the United States plummeted in the first half of 2014, although the industry is optimistic sales will pick up in the second half of the year.

Supply chain disruptions caused by extreme winter weather set the stage for truck rate hikes that pushed transportation costs higher in the first half of 2014, and on through July.

Containerized auto parts imports into the United States continued to trend upwards in the first half of 2014, in a market that has seen growth of over 10 percent in the past two years.

Air freight rates are steadily climbing as demand creeps upward, leaving airline heads optimistic about the second half of 2014.

Within days of it being officially announced, work on a second channel of the Suez Canal has apparently already begun and, according to Egyptian authorities, will be completed within a year.

Asia’s ports reported strengthening of container throughput in the first half as the economic recovery of the U.S. and Europe drove up consumer spending and new export orders flooded into Chinese factories.

Inland 40-foot container capacity was at a premium in the United States in the first half of 2014, although space is becoming more available as the second half advances.

The first half of 2014 saw the start of several stories that JOC.com will most likely be covering for the next year and perhaps beyond.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said port terminals handled record container lifts during the first half of 2014 despite winter storms that produced severe congestion during the year’s first weeks.