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Table 8 Value and Weight of Worldwide and U.S. Oceanborne Export Freight: 1995-2007

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Table 8
Value and Weight of Worldwide and U.S. Oceanborne Export Freight: 1995-2007

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Year World exports U.S. exports
Value
(billions U.S. $)		 Weight (millions of short tons) Value
(billions U.S. $)		 Weight (millions of short tons)
1995 2,252 4,651 228 475
1996 2,354 4,758 238 451
1997 2,422 4,953 225 432
1998 2,243 5,631 192 405
1999 2,354 5,683 182 400
2000 3,027 5,984 199 415
2001 2,901 5,891 199 399
2002 2,979 5,948 191 384
2003 3,646 6,598 206 373
2004 4,551 6,893 234 416
2005 5,290 7,122 263 402
2006 6,301 7,761 308 434
2007 7,723 8,032 375 467

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on data from various sources.
World: Value-IHS Global Insight World Trade Service, special tabulations from June 2009 Forecast Series, as of Sept. 29, 2009. Weight-United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Review of Maritime Transport, various issues, available at www.unctad.org as of Oct. 3, 2009.
United States: Value-U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, available at www.marad.gov as of Oct. 2, 2009. Weight-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States 2007, Table 1-6, available at www.iwr.usace.army.mil as of Oct. 2, 2009.

  • Between 1995 and 2007, world oceanborne export freight, as measured by weight, nearly doubled to 8 billion short tons. By comparison, the total weight of U.S. oceanborne exports remained steady.

  • The weight, value, and physical characteristics of oceanborne cargo determine the type of vessels used for particular shipments (tanker, container, or bulk) and the seaports where they call. In 2008, Houston was the leading U.S. port by weight and Los Angeles was the top container port (USDOT RITA BTS 2009b).