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Port Industry Statistics

Downloadable Statistics (pdf) | Definitions Pertaining to Statistics

AAPA continuously receives requests on how ports rank nationally and internationally.  The question is ambiguous, however, since ports can be compared in many different ways - by volume or value of trade, number of cruise passengers, revenues, and storage capacity, as examples.

Moreover, sheer size of a port, in terms of traffic flow, says nothing about productivity, efficiency, or responsiveness to customers.  These are just some of the criteria that a shipper might consider in evaluating port performance. 

Statistics

Definitions Pertaining to Statistics

TEU = “Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit,” a standard linear measurement used in quantifying container traffic flows.  As examples, one twenty-foot long container equals one TEU while one forty-foot container equals two TEUs (i.e., 40'÷ 20' = 2).

TONS = A short (or “net’) ton = 2,000 pounds

• A long ton = 2,240 pounds

• A metric ton = 2,205 pounds

VESSEL SERVICE:

Liner = cargo carried in vessels according to a fixed scheduled of routes and port calls.  Most containerized, as well as some breakbulk cargo, falls in this category.

Tramp = Dry cargo carried on chartered vessels.  Includes mainly dry bulks such as coal, grain, and fertilizers, as well as steel and, in some cases, autos.

Tanker = Bulk liquid cargo, such as crude oil, carried on tanker vessels.