INTERNATIONAL container volume growth in the second quarter surpassed that of the domestic box market for the first time in four years, according to the Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) latest Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report.

ISO container volume rose by 20.9 per cent to nearly 1.8 million units, while domestic container volume increased by 16.4 per cent to a record 1.1 million units compared with the second quarter of 2009.

"Although domestic container volume grew at a somewhat slower pace than international for the first time in recent years, it was the 20th consecutive quarter of growth for domestic containers," the report said.

IANA also reported that total North American intermodal volume in the second quarter reached 3.3 million units, up 17.2 per cent year over year. All domestic equipment totalled a quarterly record 1.5 million units, up 13.2 per cent, while trailer volume totalled 406,080 units, up five per cent.

"Inventory restocking likely played a major role in driving the large increase in intermodal volume recorded this quarter," IANA officials said in the report. "During last year's downturn, retailers aggressively cut inventories to the point where they were so low at the beginning of 2010 that they could not support even a modest rise in consumer spending."

Source: shipping online