Mumbai 22 June, 2007 : Containers can carry anything, but they are particularly well suited for transporting perishable and manufactured goods. Economic trends such as the globalization of the supply chain and trade liberalization have greatly stimulated the demand for containerized transport.

John Vickerman, an American marine and port consultant, is of the view that container cargo will exceed capacity at North American ports by 2013 and will continue to grow for several years. A plan to build a US$300-million container terminal at the Strait of Canso will be unveiled today in Guysborough. Melford International Terminal Inc. is being developed on marine industry forecasts that the East Coast will be inundated with container cargo from the Indian subcontinent and China by 2012.The project is being privately funded which makes it of strategic importance. This is seconded by the fact that large number of large container vessels being built and by 2012 a new Melford terminal will attract business because it will be competitive with other terminals.

Caucedo Terminal is likely to become the primary facility for container shipping to and from the Dominican Republic, meeting the growing needs of the local garment, tourism, agriculture and industrial products container markets. As the country is centrally located within the Caribbean, Caucedo is hoping to quickly develop into a strategic shipping hub for markets in the locality, as well as central and South America.

The lower costs of containerized trade have stimulated global trade, and the use of containers has been credited for double-digit growth in trade with emerging economies. The marine industry has been predicting that as North America’s West Coast ports continue to become clogged with increasing cargo volumes from China and the Indian subcontinent, East Coast ports will become more attractive as gateways for imports to North American markets. The major routing for this cargo is expected to be through the Suez Canal, making Atlantic Canada the closest North American point of entry. 

The regions studied under this report include  North  America : Pacific, Atlantic, US Gulf Coast, South  America : US Pacific, US Atlantic, Caribbean  America, Caribbean Basin, Island. This port region is defined to include Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in the Atlantic seaboard and Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Pacific Colombia in the Pacific seaboard, Peru being the first country in the region to invite private participation in this sector.

With regards to the supply, a detailed study of the current investment projects and plans has been presented, the result has thus been quantified to 2015. Enough data has been presented to compare the demand and supply in order to foresee the potential surplus capacity or shortfalls.  Container handling prices can be determined by the level of capacity utilization. Container port productivity is analysed by country or port range, in terms of TEUs per metre of container quays, and TEUs per quayside container gantry crane.