The Ports of the United States handle more than 2 billion
metric tons
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...
of domestic and import/export cargo annually. U.S. ports handle a wide variety of goods that are critical to the
global economy
The world economy or global economy is the economy of all humans of the world, referring to the global economic system, which includes all economic activities which are conducted both within and between nations, including production, consumption, ...
, including
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
,
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
,
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
,
automobiles
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
, and
containerized
Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers and ISO containers). Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the pro ...
goods. Reports from individual ports indicate that approximately 4.6 million automobiles (imports and exports) passed through American ports in 2006.
Employment
Total port-related employment in the United States was estimated at 8.4 million people in 2006.
Of this total, 1.4 million were employed in providing goods and services to ports (such as longshore,
stevedore
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
, and
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
personnel). The remaining 7 million were employed in import- and export-related activities (such as
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
,
warehousing
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, tow ...
, and distribution). Port activities were also responsible for bringing in $102.8 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2006.
Growth
Unusually, United States
containerized
Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers and ISO containers). Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the pro ...
trade rates fell in 2007 despite a continued rise in international container rates. Inbound container volumes to the United States fell by 1.1 percent in 2007 to 18.96 million TEU.
This compares to growth rates of 8.6 percent in 2006 and 10.5 percent in 2005. The decline was centered on transatlantic trade, with transpacific container volumes increasing by 0.4 percent over 2006.
The
Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 bans foreign-built and foreign-owned dredges from operating in the United states. This has been cited by critics such as the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute as being responsible for constraining the growth of US ports, such as the inability of some major US ports to accommodate post-
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
ships.
See also
*
Dubai Ports World controversy
The Dubai Ports World controversy began in February 2006 and rose to prominence as a national security debate in the United States. At issue was the sale of port management businesses in six major U.S. seaports to a company based in the United A ...
*
List of ports in the United States
This is a list of ports of the United States, ranked by tonnage. See the articles on individual ports for more information, including geography, ownership, and link to official website.
List by 2022 figures
Not ranked
* Alpena, Michigan
* Ar ...
*
United States container ports
The United States has more than 20 container ports around its coastline.
Global supply chain disruption
The supply chains that were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic faced huge challenges and struggled to recover. Industries around the ...
References
External links
*Seaport Governance
*Marine Terminal Operators {{cite web , title = Marine Terminal Operators , publisher = Federal Maritime Commission , url=https://www2.fmc.gov/FMC1Users/scripts/ExtReports.asp?tariffClass=mto , accessdate = 2013-08-30