Steel tonnage handled by Port of Houston up 58 percent year-over-year in January

Friday, 25 February 2011

Steel shipments handled by the Port of Houston Authority totaled 243,000 net tons last month, compared to 154,000 net tons of steel handled in January 2010-a 58 percent increase. Container revenue rose 8 percent last month as well.

Port of Houston Authority Alec G. Dreyer commented, "While ship arrivals at the container facilities and in the Turning Basin were essentially flat between January of this year and last year, barge traffic was up a stout 30 percent for the first month of the year."

"TEU volumes were up 5 percent in January while unit counts were up 4 percent," concluded Dreyer.

Tags: USA , North America , freight , trading (sourced :steelorbis)

US imports in December up by 1pct MoM - AIIS

Monday, 07 Feb 2011
Based on preliminary import data released by the government, imports increased slightly in December 2010 by 1.4% as compared to November 2010.
Mr David Phelps president of American Institute for International Steel said that "Stronger market conditions at the end of the year in the US are reflected in the increase in December of arrivals of semi finished steel products for conversion by domestic mills. This optimistic development also coincides with improved pricing and lengthening lead times for the domestic industry at the end of 2010."

For the full year, imports increased 47.2% over the recession year 2009.
Mr Phelps said that "Going forward, current market conditions appear to increase the reasons for optimism for early 2011 for imports, domestic shipments and based on reports associated with international conditions, for exports."
Total steel imports in December 2010 were 1.811 million tonnes as compared to 1.796 million tonnes in November 2010, a 1.4% increase, and a 28.4% increase compared to December 2009.

According to YTD figures, imports increased 47.2% compared to 2009 or from 16.2 million tonnes in 2009 to 23.9 million tonnes in 2010. The data show that imported semi finished products increased from 278 thousand tons in December 2009 to 365,000 tonnes in December 2010, a 31.5% increase.
For the YTD period, semi finished imports increased from 2.036 million tonnes in 2009 to 5.068 million tonnes in 2010, a 148.9% increase, based on preliminary reporting.