BTS releases U.S. North American transshipment data

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Updated Jun 18, 2011

In 2010, $60.8 billion of goods shipped between the United States and countries outside of North America passed through Canada or Mexico, according to a new transshipment database released Friday, June 17, by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

The value of transshipments was up 8.5 percent from 2009 but down 9.1 percent from 2008. Transshipments are shipments of merchandise from a country of origin to a country of ultimate destination through an intermediary country. The BTS transshipment data show the dollar value of shipments between the United States and other countries that travel through Canada or Mexico, as well as the weight of imported goods.

Countries of origin or destination, U.S. state of origin or destination, commodity and port of entry numbers also can be found on the database. The transshipment numbers on the new database are not included in BTS’ monthly North American Transborder Freight Data, which consists of data on shipments to and from Canada and Mexico.

Annual transshipment data from 2006 to 2010 can be found at www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/TBDR_TS/TBDR_TS_Index.html.