Water

By Daryl Delano -- Logistics Management, 10/1/1998

Inbound liner prices surged 29.5% between April and August, as the sharp increase in import volume--attributable to a strong dollar and global economic turmoil--was too much for the industry to absorb comfortably. The resulting shipping demand imbalances have caused outbound liner prices to rise as well. With the flood of holiday imports moving beyond its seasonal peak and domestic demand easing, inflation in the overall water-transport sector should ease in the next few months.

% CHANGE VS.: 1 month ago 6 mos. ago 1 yr. ago

Inbound liner +16.1 +21.5 +20.4

Outbound liner +2.6 +3.9 +2.3

Domestic deep sea +0.5 +2.9 -3.0

Grt. Lks.-St. Lawrence 0.0 +0.3 +0.8

Mississippi River +1.1 +5.4 +5.2