Container handling through New York and New Jersey rose 3% on a year earlier in February, the 11th straight month of growth but the slowest for the port in that period. Imports of loaded containers lagged exports – a pattern only seen in Charleston among the major ports. That was the result of a 3% drop in shipments from China being offset by a 20% surge in imports from Germany and 11% from Italy. Among the major liners the decline in Asia-inbound volumes hasn’t hurt Asian shippers with Evergreen’s volumes up 6% and COSCO / Orient Overseas having risen 54% on a combined basis.