SR-032

December 2011

The Changing Tide of U.S.-International Container Trade:

Differences Among the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts

By Matthew Chambers

Special Report

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics

This BTS special report examines historical U.S. maritime 

trends, changes in U.S. trading partners, and current U.S. 

marine trade patterns. More specifically, it compares container vessel calls, container vessel capacity, and the average deadweight tonnage of vessels calling at U.S. Pacific 

Coast seaports1 and, increasingly, along the U.S. Atlantic2

and Gulf Coasts.3

The report highlights the typical container port and terminal 

construction projects recently completed along the Pacific 

Coast by the United States, China, and other U.S. trading 

partners. In addition, the report shows the U.S. population 

center, which has a historical relationship with the location 

and cargo flow of major U.S. seaports. 

Historical Trends

August 15, 1962, marked the opening of the world’s first 

container terminal at the Port of New York and New Jersey’s Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal.4

 Major seaports up and down the Atlantic Coast and along the Gulf 

and Pacific Coasts have since adopted the technology, 

which uses containers, measured in twenty-foot equivalent 

units (TEUs), and built dedicated container terminals that 

have revolutionized maritime trade and transportation. 

Today, many seaports are busily refreshing port infrastructure and building modern container terminals. Modern 

port terminal facilities are far more capable of quickly and 

efficiently loading and unloading ocean liners than those 

of yesteryear, many of which were built to accommodate 

10,000 deadweight ton “Liberty-size” cargo ships—a refer1

 U.S. West/Pacific coast includes seaports from Barrow, AK south to San Diego, 

CA, including HI.

2

 U.S. East/Atlantic coast includes seaports from Eastport, ME south to Miami, FL, 

including PR.

3

 U.S. Gulf coast includes seaports from Key West, FL west to Brownsville, TX.

4

 The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Port History, 2011. http://www.

panynj.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

ence to the hundreds of surplus World War II era Liberty 

ships put into liner service after the war.5 In comparison, 

today’s liner service6 is provided by container vessels that 

average 51,263 deadweight tons.7

Even though container trade originated with Atlantic and 

Gulf Coast seaports, since 1985 Pacific Coast ports have 

dominated the market share in terms of TEUs.8 However, 

in the past few years, Atlantic and Gulf Coast container 

ports have narrowed the gap in merchandise trade value 

by container vessel as they regained market share (figure 

1). 

Trading Partners

During the past decade, many rising U.S. trade partners in 

Asia surpassed their European counterparts and are challenging, or even exceeding, U.S. trade partners in North 

America (in terms of merchandise trade value). China 

became the second largest U.S. trading partner in 2006, 

surpassing Mexico. Further, China appears to be on track 

to top Canada’s total trade value with the United States.9 

However, container vessels carry the majority of the China 

trade value, whereas container trade accounts for only a 

fraction of the value of U.S.-Canada trade—which is why 

Canada does not appear in the table 1 listing of top U.S. 

container vessel trading partners.10

5

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime 

Administration’s Last Liberty Ship Reaches Greece. Jan. 19, 2009. http://www.

marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

6

 A service provided between set U.S. ports and foreign ports on a fixed schedule.

7

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Vessel Calls 

Snapshot, 2010. May 2011. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

8

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. America’s Container Ports: 

Linking Markets at Home and Abroad. January 2011. http://www.bts.gov/ (Accessed 

June 2011).

9

 U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. USA 

Trade Online. http://www.usatradeonline.gov/ (accessed September 2011).

10 U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. 

USA Trade Online. http://www.usatradeonline.gov/ (accessed September 2011).
BTS Special Report

2

Container Trade Partners

The total container vessel value of each of the top 10 U.S. 

trade partners increased between 2003 and 2010 (table 1). 

U.S.-China container vessel value more than doubled between 2003 and 2010. U.S.-India containerized trade value 

also more than doubled, whereas the U.S.-Japan trade 

remained about the same during that time period. 

Asia accounts for 5 of the top 10 U.S. container trading 

partners (table 1). Further, 9 out of the top 10 container 

ports are located in Asia, resulting in the increased Pacific 

Coast market share (e.g., at the ports of Los Angeles and 

Long Beach).11 Many seaports in Asia have built new container port terminals or expanded capacity at existing ones 

in order to handle this growing trade in goods, for example 

port terminals in Yantian, China.12

Current Patterns

Transatlantic Container Trade

Even today, the Atlantic Ocean hosts some of the most 

heavily transited sea lanes.13 These routes provide passage for vessels, including containerships transiting between the United States and Europe, the East Coast of 

South America, the West Coast of Africa, and even Asia via 

the Panama and Suez Canals. In addition, containerships 

move TEUs from port to port around the world using transshipment hubs.14

Overall, container vessel calls at U.S. seaports were up 

by 7.3 percent in 2010 from 2009.15 Several shipping lines 

are upgrading their liner services. For example, a partnership operated though a Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA)16 

announced an upgrade of their joint transpacific services. 

Shipping lines commonly use VSAs in accordance with 

Federal regulations for sharing of vessel space.17 More 

specifically, they are adding ports of call, deploying larger 

vessels, and expanding transpacific services, including 

ones transiting the Panama Canal.18

Container Vessel Calls

Larger container vessels call at U.S. Pacific Coast seaports 

than at U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast seaports. The Pacific Coast seaports (e.g., Port of Los Angeles)19 have the 

11 U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. America’s Container Ports: 

Linking Markets at Home and Abroad. January 2011. http://www.bts.gov/ (accessed 

June 2011).

12 Yantian International Container Terminals. Milestones. http://www.yict.com.cn/

(accessed June 2011).

13 Central Intelligence Agency. World Fact Book, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/

publications/the-world-factbook/index.html (accessed June 2011).

14 Transshipment involves transfer goods from one conveyance (e.g., containership) 

to another or from one mode of transportation to another.

15 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Vessel Calls 

Snapshot, 2010. May 2011. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

16 For additional information on Vessel Sharing Agreements, please visit the Federal 

Maritime Commission at http://www.fmc.gov/ (accessed July 2011).

17 National Archives and Records Administration, Government Printing Office, Title 

46—Shipping, Part 535—Ocean Common Common Carrier and Marine Terminal 

Operator Agreements Subject to the Shipping Act of 1984. http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/ 

(accessed October 2011).

18 Maersk Lines, New Trans-Pacific Coverage to Answer Customer Need. March 2, 

2011. https://www.maerskline.com/(accessed July 2011).

19 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Los Angeles District, Port of Los Angeles Channel 

Deepening Project, http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/ (accessed September 2011).

Figure 1: Coastal Market Shares of U.S. 

Merchandise Trade Value by Container Vessel, 

2003–2010

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

U.S. East/Atlantic

Gulf

U.S. West/Pacific

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. USA Trade Online. http://www.usatradeonline.gov/ 

(accessed September 2011).

Table 1: Top 10 U.S. Container Vessel Trading 

Partners, 2003 and 2010

Ranked by 2010 containerized value in billions of dollars

Country 2003 2010 Percentage 

Change

China $120.02 $270.33 125%

Japan $59.86 $63.80 7%

Germany $23.64 $36.32 54%

Korea, South $20.54 $29.25 42%

Taiwan $19.83 $23.65 19%

Brazil $10.82 $18.61 72%

India $7.14 $18.11 154%

United Kingdom $14.60 $17.62 21%

Italy $13.69 $15.94 16%

France $10.73 $15.79 47%

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. USA Trade Online. http://www.usatradeonline.gov/ 

(accessed September 2011). 
BTS Special Report

3

needed channel depths, whereas the Atlantic Coast seaports (e.g., the Port of New York/New Jersey20) are dredging to accommodate the larger containerships. The average 

container vessel calling along the Pacific Coast is 4,345 

TEUs. In comparison, the average containership calling at 

Gulf Coast ports is 2,919 TEUs, while those calling at the 

Atlantic Coast ports average 4,044 TEUs.21

Since 2009, Atlantic Coast ports have shown growth in container vessel calls. The number of container vessels calls 

increased on both the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. However, 

Pacific Coast calls declined between 2007 and 2009 before 

experiencing an upswing in 2010 (figure 2). Vessel calls 

on all coasts struck a low in 2009, coinciding with a U.S. 

business cycle that fell to a low in June 2009.22Total transit 

times and shipping costs, including intermodal costs (e.g., 

truck or rail), affect a shippers’ supply-chain decision on 

how to route cargo to the Atlantic, Gulf, or Pacific coasts. 

Atlantic and Gulf Coast container vessel calls increased by 

22 and 54 percent, respectively, between 2002 and 2010 

(table 2). Along the Atlantic Coast, the South Atlantic saw 

the largest increase in calls. The Gulf Coast container ports 

grew the most percentagewise, albeit from a much lower 

base. During the same period, Pacific Coast vessel calls 

declined by 5 percent. 

20 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - New York District, New York & New Jersey Harbor 

(50 ft Deepening) Navigation Project. http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/ (accessed 

September 2011).

21 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Vessel Calls 

Snapshot, 2010. May 2011. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

22 National Bureau of Economic Research, U.S. Business Cycle Expansions and 

Contractions. http://www.nber.org/cycles.html (accessed October 2011).

Deployed TEU Capacity on Container Vessels

Shipping lines are deploying an ever increasing amount 

of capacity (as measured in terms of TEUs),23 which has 

grown from 51,757,000 TEUs in 2002 to 76,792,000 TEUs 

in 2010, a 48 percent increase, or 25 million TEUs.24 The 

Atlantic Coast accounts for the majority of this growth, 

increasing by about 16 million TEUs between 2002 and 

2010, or 62 percent. The Pacific Coast follows with an 

increase of about 6 million TEUs, or 26 percent. The Gulf 

Coast, with much smaller capacity, more than doubled, 

increasing by 103 percent, or nearly 3 million TEUs, during 

the same period. Such increases are due to shipping lines 

increasing supply (e.g., deployed TEU capacity) to keep up 

with growing demand.

Average Tonnage of Container Vessel 

The average deadweight tons (dwt) of container vessels 

calling along the Pacific Coast is nearly 18,000 tons larger 

than that of vessels calling on ports along the Gulf Coast 

and about 7,500 dwt larger than those calling on the Atlantic seaboard (table 3). Many factors (e.g., bridge clearance, 

channel depth, port and terminal infrastucture, and the 

Panama Canal) may limit the size and ports where postPanamax containerships call.25 The BTS Fact Sheet: Atlantic Coast U.S. Seaports (October 2010) highlights efforts 

23 Container vessel capacity is the sum of the U.S. vessel calls weighted by vessel 

TEU. For additional information, please see U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Maritime Administration. Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://

www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

24 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime Vessels Calls 

at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

25 According to the Maritime Administration’s Glossary of Shipping Terms, Panamax 

vessels are largest that can traverse the Panama Canal. Current maximum 

dimensions are: length 294.1 meters (965 feet); width 32.3 meters (106 feet); draft 

12.0 meters (39.5 feet) in tropical fresh water; height 57.91 meters (190 feet) above 

the water.

Figure 2: Container Vessels Calls at U.S. Seaports 

by Coast, 2002-2010

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

U.S. East/Atlantic

Gulf

U.S. West/Pacific

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. 

Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://www.marad.

dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).

Table 2: Container Vessels Calls at U.S. Seaports by 

Coast, 2002 and 2010

Coast Region 2002 2010 Difference Percent

Atlantic North Atlantic 3,043 3,340 297 10%

South Atlantic 5,444 7,309 1,865 34%

Puerto Rico 568 442 (126) -22%

Atlantic total 9,055 11,091 2,036 22%

Gulf total 1,262 1,943 681 54%

Pacific Pacific Northwest 1,787 1,643 (144) -8%

Pacific Southwest 5,034 4,853 (181) -4%

Pacific total 6,821 6,496 (325) -5%

Total, all 17,138 19,530 2,392 14%

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime 

Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 2011).
BTS Special Report

4

underway at the major Atlantic container ports of New York/

New Jersey, Virginia, Savannah, and Charleston, including 

improving bridge clearance, building double stack rail lines, 

and constructing new container terminals to prepare for an 

expanded Panama Canal.26

Building Blocks

Across the country and around the world, many ports and 

terminals are under construction. In addition, ports and ter26 U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. BTS Special Report: Atlantic 

Coast U.S. Seaports. http://www.bts.gov/ (accessed October 2011).

minals are making efforts to increase capacity and efficiency. Port expansions are necessary to facilitate the growth 

in imports, especially between the United States and its 

container vessel trading partners in Asia (e.g., China). 

Further, they are necessary to handle increasingly oversize 

container vessels.

U.S. Pacific Coast Ports and Terminals

The Port of Los Angeles has begun a multiyear terminal 

construction project that includes upgrading the China 

Shipping and TraPac terminals. The upgrades at the latter 

include pier-side dredging, extending berths, and installFigure 3: Deployed TEU Capacity on Container Vessel by U.S. Coast, 2002 and 2010

Percent based on the number of TEUs

Gulf

Atlantic

Pacific

Puerto Rico

1% 5%

48%

45%

Puerto Rico

1%

38%

Gulf

Atlantic

Pacific

7%

53%

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://www.marad.dot.

gov/ (accessed June 2011).

Table 3: Average Tonnage of Container Vessels at U.S. Seaports by Coast, 

2002 and 2010

In terms of deadweight tons

Coast Region 2002 2010 Difference Percent

Atlantic North Atlantic 40,977 53,256 12,279 30%

Puerto Rico 21,762 23,526 1,765 8%

South Atlantic 42,636 49,749 7,113 17%

Atlantic total 40,769 49,760 8,991 22%

Gulf total Gulf 31,831 39,475 7,644 24%

Pacific Pacific Northwest 45,510 53,044 7,534 17%

Pacific Southwest 46,055 58,813 12,758 28%

Pacific total 45,912 57,354 11,441 25%

Total, all 42,158 51,263 9,105 22%

NOTE: Deadweight tons – is the total weight in long tons (2,240 pounds) that a vessel is transporting, including 

ballast and bunker fuel, crew and equipment, and cargo. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by 

Vessel Type. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ (accessed June 17, 2011).
BTS Special Report

5

ing on-dock rail.27 The Port of Long Beach has started the 

construction phase of the Middle Harbor Redevelopment 

Project, which will yield a new container terminal.28 The Port 

of Tacoma is extending berths at its Washington United 

Terminals.29

Select International Container Ports or Terminal 

Developments

Yantian International Container Terminals, which opened 

with 13,000 TEUs in 1994, increased its annual throughput 

to 2 million TEUs in 2000 and to over 10 million TEUs in 

2010.30 The port of Ningbo increased its capacity, resulting 

in an increase in annual throughput from 4 million TEUs31 in 

27 Port of Los Angeles. A Profile of the Port of Los Angeles, Capital Improvements 

and Jobs. http://www.portoflosangeles.org/ (accessed July 2011).

28 Port of Long Beach. Construction to Begin on Major Terminal Modernization: First 

Phase of Massive Middle Harbor Project to Start in Spring (Feb. 15, 2011), http://

www.polb.com/ (accessed July 2011).

29 Port of Tacoma. Washington United Terminals Berth Expansion, http://www.

portoftacoma.com/ (accessed July 2011).

30 Yantian International Container Terminals. Annual Throughput, 2010. http://www.

yict.com.cn/(accessed June 2011).

31 Port of Ningbo, Status Quo of Ningbo Port-a Grand Oriental Port. http://english.

ningbo.gov.cn/ (accessed August 2011).

2003 to more than 10.4 million TEUs32 in 2009. The Port of 

Guangzhou increased its annual throughput from 4.68 million TEUs33 in 2005 to 12.7 million TEUs34 in 2010.

The port of Hong Kong increased its annual throughput 

from 22.6 million TEUs in 2005 to 23.7 million TEUs in 2010 

without enlarging its footprint.35 Hong Kong International 

Terminals (HIT) has increased its efficiency by deploying 

an information technology solution. For example, the port 

is automating gates and yard operations, making drop off 

and pickup appointments, and texting container locations to 

drivers to keep trucks and container traffic moving.36

Over the past 5 years, the PSA Singapore Terminals have 

grown from 20 million TEUs37 to an annual throughput of 

32 Port of Ningbo, Port of Ningbo in 2010. http://english.ningbo.gov.cn/ (accessed 

August 2011).

33 Port of Guangzhou, Ports of Guangzhou Achieved a New Leap Forward, http://

www.gzport.gov.cn/ (accessed August 2011).

34 Port of Guangzhou, Historical Highlights of the Ports of Guangzhou, http://www.

gzport.gov.cn/ (accessed August 2011).

35 Port of Hong Kong, Port of Hong Kong in Figures, 2011, http://www.mardep.gov.hk/ 

(accessed August 2011).

36 Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT), Technology Advancement. http://www.hit.

com.hk/ (accessed August 2011).

37 Port of Singapore. Heritage. http://www.singaporepsa.com/ (accessed August 

2011).

Figure 4: U.S. Population in Relationship to Container Ports, 2010

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|

"|"|

"|

TX

CA

MT

AZ

ID

NV

NM

CO

OR

IL UT KS

WY

IA

NE

SD MN

ND

OK

FL

WI

MO

WA

AL

GA

AR

MI

PA

IN

NY

NC

LA

MS

TN

VA KY

OH

ME

SC

WV

VT NH

NJ

MA

CT

DE

MD

RI

DC

Miami

767

Tacoma

438

Seattle

749

Norfolk

1,908

Houston

1,012

Savannah

1,819

New York/New Jersey

2,421

New Orleans

407

Los Angeles/

Long Beach

2,610

Jacksonville

453

San Francisco

1,741

Port Everglades

834

Charleston

1,266

2010

Gulf

of Mexico

Pacific

Ocean

Atlantic

Ocean

Mean Center of Poulation, 2010

Other Container Ports

"|Top 15 Container Ports

County Population, 2010

82 - 10,000

10,001 - 30,000

30,001 - 70,000

70,001 - 9,818,605

NOTE: The mean population center represents

all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Highest capacity container ports are the

top 15 deep draft ports, based on their total

vessel calls.

The number under the port's name designates

vessel calls of the port. Other deep draft ports

are container ports with vessel calls not in the

0 162.5 325 650 top 15.

Miles

SOURCES: Capacity: U.S. Department

of Transportation, Maritime Administration.

Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by

Vessel Type. Population: U.S. Department

of Commerce, Census Bureau, Decennial

Census 2010.

"|

PR

San Juan

442

"|

HI

Honolulu

398

"|"|

AK

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Maritime Vessels Calls at U.S. Ports by Vessel Type. http://www.marad.dot.

gov/ (accessed June 2011).
BTS Special Report

6

27.7 million TEUs.38 The ports of Dubai and Fujairah in the 

United Arab Emirates handled a combined annual throughput of 11.6 million TEUs39 in 2010, up from 9.9 million 

TEUs40 in 2006. The Port of Rotterdam nearly doubled its 

annual throughput, up from 3.1 million TEUs in 2000 to 5.7 

million TEUs in 2010.41

U.S. Population in Relationship to Major U.S. 

Container Ports, 2010 

The U.S. population movement to the west and south42

has changed the ultimate destination for many imported 

consumer goods. Shippers are routing more cargo through 

U.S. South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (table 3), placing inland 

points and nearby consumers in easy reach. 

38 Port of Singapore. Highlights. http://www.singaporepsa.com/ (accessed August 

2011).

39 Port of Dubai, DP World Handled 50 Million TEU in 2010, http://www.dpworld.ae/

(accessed August 2011).

40 Port of Dubai, UAE records 19% growth in 2007, http://www.dpworld.ae/ (accessed 

August 2011).

41 Port of Rotterdam, Container: TEU time series, http://www.portofrotterdam.com/ 

(accessed August 2011).

42 U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Fact for Features: 2010 

Center of Population (March 2001), http://www.census.gov/ (accessed July 2011).

The mean center of population43 helps show the relationship between the U.S. population and major U.S. container 

ports (figure 4). Shifts in the center’s location may be indicative of new and emerging freight traffic patterns as well 

as long-term changes in freight routing as the population 

center shifts from the mid Atlantic to the mid west region of 

the United States.

43 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this point is the place where an imaginary, 

flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all 

308,745,538 residents counted in the 2010 Census were of identical weight. For 

additional information, please visit: http://www.census.gov/.

About This Report Maritime-Related BTS Data Products

For the latest Maritime-related BTS data products, 

please visit the BTS Maritime Program website at 

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

Relevant data and statistics on the BTS Maritime 

Program website—

• National Census of Ferry Operators

• National Transportation Statistics

BTS Fact Sheets and Special Reports— 

• Preliminary Observations of the Tsunami’s Impact 

on U.S. Trade and Transportation with Japan – 

May 2011

• Fact Sheet: Atlantic Coast U.S. Seaports – October 2010 

• Gulf Coast Ports Surrounding the Deepwater 

Horizon Oil Spill – June 2010

Maritime Trade and Transportation-related BTS 

Publications—

• America’s Container Ports: Delivering the Goods

• Transportation Statistics Annual Report

Matthew Chambers, a Senior Transportation Specialist, in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) 

prepared this report. BTS is a component of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).

For questions about this special report or other BTS 

reports, call 1-800-853-1351, e-mail ritainfo@dot.gov, 

or visit http://www.bts.gov/.