Freight traffic on US railroads was down somewhat during May in comparison with May 2006, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Jun 7.

US railroads originated 1,636,963 carloads of freight in May 2007, down 79,471 carloads (4.6%) from May 2006. Intermodal volume totaled 1,143,652 units in May 2007, a decline of 23,926 trailers and containers (2.0%) from May 2006.

Five of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw US carload increases in May 2007 compared to May 2006, with the largest gains coming in chemicals (up 1.4%) and petroleum products (up 5.5%).

Most other commodities showed carload declines in May 2007, including coal (down 3.9%, to 683,046 carloads); crushed stone and gravel (down 10.3%, to 112,721 carloads); and grain (down 9.4%, to 96,547 carloads).

US intermodal traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, was down 1.2% for the first five months of 2007, to 4,990,830 units.

Total volume for the first five months was estimated at 721.4bn ton-miles, down 3.0% from last year.

Shanghai overtaking Singapore

Shanghai is on track to overtake Singapore next year as the world’s busiest container terminal, according to a senior official of the city’s port operations.

The port posted a 21% increase in throughput in May, handling 2.21mn TEUs.

Wang Qingwei, board secretary of Shanghai International Port Group, commented recently that “Shanghai port is likely to overtake Singapore next year.”

Volume may rise 15% to 25mn TEUs this year, Wang said.

Shanghai increased its container traffic 26% in the first five months of the year to 10.3mn TEUs, the local authority said on its Web site Jun 7.

Singapore’s container traffic increased 14% to 8.8mn TEUs in the first four months of the year, according to figures from the port authority.

Shanghai port has had an increase of more than 3mn TEUs of throughput growth each year since 2003. The city has also been boosted by the $16bn Yangshan deep port that came on stream in December 2005.

It is estimated that by next year, Shanghai is likely to handle about 20% of the world’s container throughput.

Port of Baltimore again sets record

The Port of Baltimore had another record-setting year in 2006, its fifth consecutive, Maryland Port Administration officials said Jun 11.

Topping 9mn metric tons for the first time, port officials said in a news release, foreign general cargo tonnage rose from 8.8mn mt in 2005 to 9.3mn mt in 2006. The total for all foreign cargo handled at the port totaled 30.6mn mt.

The total value of cargo moved through the port also hit another high, $36.7bn, the port said. The old record for 2005 was $35.9bn.

“Business at the port has never been stronger,” Maryland Port Administration Director Brooks Royster said in a statement.

State officials said the port ranks first out of the nation’s 361 ports in roll on/roll off cargo, trucks, gypsum imports, and iron ore imports. It is 12th in value of cargo and 14th in tonnage of foreign cargo.

It is second in auto exports, sugar imports, wood pulp imports, and aluminum imports. It ranks third in paper imports and wood imports, the release said.