A survey of all the principal container carriers serving mainstream U.S. trades shows that the carriers believe their service quality has improved, and that European and Asian ports are better than U.S. ports in most service areas common to container ports.

The report, Mainstream Container Services 2003, summarizes responses received from 21 of 22 carriers serving the transatlantic and transpacific trades; those carriers accounted for 93% of the 2002 traffic. The survey obtained important information not available from previously existing data, and is the first survey of its kind. It provides a baseline for future dialogue between this segment of the industry and the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Questions focused on how services are evolving, port performance, and where service improvements and investment focus are needed and expected in these trades.

Mainstream Container Services 2003 is available in print and CD-ROM versions, and will be available for download from the MARAD website at

www.marad.dot.gov/marad statistics. Inquiries regarding the report should be made to the U.S. Maritime Administration, Office of Statistical & Economic Analysis, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Room 8107, Washington, DC, 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-2267, Fax: (202) 366-8886, E-mail: data.marad@marad.dot.gov.