Bureau of Transportation Statistics Office of Transportation Analysis Maritime Program

Bureau of Transportation StatisticsOffice of Transportation Analysis

Maritime Program

November 19, 2009

2U.S. Department of TransportationResearch and Innovative Technology Administration

Maritime ProgramProvides a wealth of Maritime-related data and information.

For the latest BTS data products, please visit the Maritime Program’s website at http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_program/.

Databases □ Intermodal Passenger Connectivity

Database□ National Census of Ferry Operators

Publications □ America's Container Ports: Delivering the

Goods □ Maritime Trade and Transportation

Special and Technical Reports□ Maritime Vessels Carry More Than Half of

Growing U.S.-East Africa Trade□ Making Connections: Intermodal Links

between Scheduled Passenger Ferries and Other Public Transportation Modes

http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_program/


Maritime Data Working GroupFosters collaboration on Maritime-related data between Federal agencies.

For additional information, please visit the Group’ s website at: http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_data_working_group/.

The BTS sponsors the interagency Maritime Data Working Group (Group), which holds quarterly meetings to talk about □ maritime data availability, □ collection, □ gaps, □ standardization, □ and quality.

In addition, the Group supports joint research projects and sponsors interagency publications, including the Maritime Trade and Transportation reports.

http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_data_working_group/


National Census of Ferry OperatorsProvides a collection of summary tables on ferry operations throughout the U.S.

BTS manages the National Census of Ferry Operators (NFCO).

The NFCO includes operational data on □ ferry operators, □ routes □ terminals (including vendors),□ and vessels

from, starting in 2006, a biennial survey, along with data from other sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard.

Covers the U.S. and its possessions, encompassing the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.


Maritime Trade & TransportationPresent major trends in the water transportation industry.

The Maritime report provides an update on□ marine infrastructure, □ maritime-related transportation services, □ domestic and international freight and

passenger trade, □ the economic impact of the system, □ safety□ environment,□ national security,□ and shipbuilding.

In addition, this report presents information about the St. Lawrence Seaway and the U.S. Coast Guard.


America’s Container PortsFreight Hubs That Connect Our Nation to Global Markets

2008 was an exceptionally challenging year for the nation’s container ports as TEU throughput dropped nationwide.

U.S. container ports play an important role in handling U.S. merchandise trade moving to and from distant places around the world.

During 2008, the volume of maritime freight handled by U.S. container ports dropped.

Total U.S. containerized freight for December 2008 was down 18 percent compared with December 2007.

Maritime containerized imports declined 15 percent, and exports fell by 21 percent.


America’s Container Ports

In 2008, containerized freight throughput fell for each of the leading ports in the Pacific/west coast, Atlantic/east coast, and gulf coast regions.

West coast ports had a 5 percent decline, east coast ports a less than 1 percent decline, and gulf coast ports a 3 percent decline.

In 2008, the decline in maritime containerized cargo impacted international Intermodal containers handled by the nation’s Class I railroads, which fell 7 percent from 2007.

It also affected overall trucking activity, which saw record declines in the second half of 2008.

In 2008, the top 10 U.S. container ports accounted for 86 percent of containerized TEU imports and exports, up from 78 percent in 1995.

Handle large volumes of freight in support of the nation’s economic activities.


Top 10 U.S. Container Ports

Among the nation’s top 10 leading container ports, 7 saw declines in their container cargo throughput in 2008.

The two largest declines were Seattle at 16 percent and Long Beach at 8 percent.

Only 3 of the top 10 ports, all on the east coast, handled slightly more container cargo in 2008 than in 2007—Savannah grew by 3.6 percent, New York/New Jersey by 1.4 percent, and Norfolk by 1.2 percent.

Handled an estimated 28.2 million TEU by the end of 2008, a 3 percent drop.

These east coast ports tend to have a more diversified trade market, unlike the west coast ports.


Top 25 U.S. Container PortsAccount for 98.8 percent of containership calls and 99.6 percent of capacity (in dwt). The top three container port

gateways were Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York/New Jersey.

The containerized exports and imports handled by these leading ports serve the international trade needs of every state, both coastal states with seaports as well as landlocked states that depend on seaports for their merchandise trade export and imports.

The containerized cargo arrives and leaves the seaports either by rail or truck as single modes or by Intermodal truck-rail combination.


U.S. Container Ports Market Share by RegionHas seen traffic shift from the East/Atlantic to the West/Pacific Coast Before the mid-1980s, when U.S.

trade with Pacific Rim Asian countries was modest, east coast ports handled the majority of U.S. international maritime trade.

As trade with Asia grew, the east coast ports’ share of the value of trade declined and west coast ports’ share increased.

Eventually, west coast ports surpassed east coast ports in maritime cargo handled, and this trend has continued to today.

Over half of U.S. containerized merchandise trade, measured in terms of TEUs, passes through west coast ports.


Forthcoming Maritime-related PublicationsTitle Highlights

America’s Freight Transportation Gateways

Ranks freight gateways by the value of merchandise trade they handle.

Special Report:Ocean Passenger Terminals

Serving larger vessels, closer to home, and connecting downtown transit

Special Report:Ocean Passenger Vessels

Migrate south for the winter

Freight Transportation: Global Highlights

Gives the trends for international freight moving among the top 25 world economies.

Presents statistics on freight activity by the leading global ocean and air carrier, seaports, and airports in international freight.


America’s Freight Transportation GatewaysAre vital for U.S. economic growth and international competitiveness.

Additional information on more than 200 gateways that are points of entry and exit for U.S. international trade is available on the BTS website at www.bts.gov.

This report is an update of a report released in 2004.

Contains a data profile of the nation’s leading international freight transportation gateways in 2008 and presents summary trend data from 1990.

It is a collection of information that highlights the top 25 freight gateways, providing the most recent annual information on the movement of goods through these □ seaports, □ airports, □ and land border crossings.

http://www.bts.gov/


State Transportation Statistics

The STS is a companion document to the National Transportation Statistics (NTS), which is updated quarterly on the BTS website at www.bts.gov.

This is the sixth annual edition of the State Transportation Statistics (STS).

The STS presents a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including:□ transportation infrastructure,□ freight movement and passenger travel, □ system safety, □ vehicles, □ transportation related economy and

finance,□ energy usage, □ and the environment.

The STS also includes a brief description of the data sources used and a glossary.

http://www.bts.gov/

Documents

Bureau of Transportation Statistics Office of Transportation Analysis Maritime Program