Asia container exports to US surge in February

TOKYO : In February, container exports from 18 Asian countries and regions to the United States experienced a significant rebound compared to the previous year.

According to Japan International Freight Forwarders Association, Inc. (JIFFA), container exports fuelled by robust demand, surged by 29.4% year-on-year, reaching 1.6 million TEUs, as reported by the Japan Maritime Center (JMC) using data from the Port Import/Export Reporting Service (PIERS).

Over the first two months of the year, these exports totalled 3.34 million TEUs, marking a notable year-over-year increase of 22%.

Nearly all of the 18 economies witnessed double-digit growth in container exports, with notable increases seen in shipments from China, which soared by 29.5% to 883,693 TEUs, from South Korea, which rose by 14.1% to 91,743 TEUs, from Taiwan, which increased by 20.3% to 55,982 TEUs and from Japan, which grew by 14.3% to 54,620 TEUs.

Moreover, shipments from Southeast Asia saw a significant increase, totalling 403,052 TEUs, up by 41.9%. Notable contributions came from Vietnam with exports amounting to 214,177 TEUs, up by 46.9%, from Thailand with 76,627 TEUs, up by 41.6%, from Indonesia with 39,118 TEUs, up by 27.4% and from Malaysia with 35,243 TEUs, up by 52%.

Regarding South Asia, container exports reached 106,650 TEUs, up by 17.5%, including 81,226 TEUs from India, reflecting an increase of 16.1%.