JULY and August are expected to be two of the busiest months in history for imports at US ports as merchants stock up for back-to-school and even Christmas, says the monthly Global Port Tracker from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.72 million TEU in May, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 7.3 per cent from April and up 6.2 per cent from May 2016. 

June was estimated at 1.66 million TEU, up 5.3 per cent from the same time last year. July is forecast at 1.71 million TEU, up 5.1 per cent from last year; August at 1.75 million TEU, up 2.2 per cent; September at 1.66 million TEU, up 4.3 per cent; October at 1.71 million TEU, up 2.2 per cent, and November at 1.6 million TEU, down 2.7 per cent from last year.

The August figure would be the highest monthly volume recorded since NRF began tracking imports in 2000, topping the 1.73 million TEU seen in March 2015. The 1.7 million-plus numbers seen in May, July, August and October represent four of the six busiest months in the report's history.

The first half of 2017 is expected to total 9.63 million TEU, up 7.1 per cent from the first half of 2016. Cargo volume for 2016 totalled 18.8 million TEU, up 3.1 per cent from 2015, which had grown 5.4 per cent from 2014. 

NRF vice president Jonathan Gold expects 2017 retail sales - excluding cars, petrol and restaurants - will increase between 3.7 and 4.2 per cent over 2016, driven by job and income growth coupled with low debt. 

Global Port Tracker covers the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Houston.