Container imports are way down.

Import cargo at U.S. ports in May increased to more than 1 million containers for the first time in four months, but the amount is 20 percent below the same month in 2008. "Monthly numbers are rising as we enter the back-to-school season and will continue to do so as we build up to the holiday season, which is the cycle we see every year whether the economy is good or not," says Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain at the National Retail Federation.

U.S. ports handled 1.04 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in May, up 5 percent from April. It ended a three-month streak in which the nation's ports handled less than 1 million TEUs. But the number for May marked the 23rd consecutive month of year-over-year declines. For the first six months of 2009, it is expected that the nation will import 6 million TEUs, down 20 percent from the 7.5 million imported during the first half of 2008. Total volume for 2008 was 15.2 million TEUs, down 8 percent from 2007's 16.5 million TEUs and the lowest level since 2004's 14 million TEUs.

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