NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said: "Numbers are down significantly, but the good news is that we’re expecting to move from double-digit decline into the single digits by the end of the year.

"That’s some light at the end of the tunnel that we’re really looking forward to seeing."

The 12.3m teu forecast for 2009 compares with 15.2m teu last year and is the lowest level since the 11.6m teu seen in 2002.

US ports surveyed handled 1.01m teu in June, down 2% from May and 22% from June 2008, marking the 24th month in a row to see a year-over-year decline.

Volumes for July were estimated at 1.06m teu, while August is forecast at 1.09m teu and September at 1.08m teu. 

All three months were down 20% compared with last year. October, traditionally the peak month of the year, is forecast at 1.12m teu, down 18%. 

November is forecast at 1.05m teu, down 15%, and December is forecast at 1.02m teu, down 3.8% from 2008.

The 3.8% decline in December is significant because it is the first single-digit decline of the year and compares with drops that have ranged from 15% to 32%.

"This year’s peak season is beginning with very weak import container volume, and even though traffic is slowly building, that’s going to be the case through the remainder of the year," IHS Global Insight Economist Paul Bingham said.

"Summertime rail maintenance and the threat of hurricanes could cause some delays in the transportation system across the country, but the ports themselves are free of congestion and have more than sufficient capacity."