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Zepol Corporation, the leading trade intelligence company, reports that U.S. vessel imports have risen a slight 1.2% in 2012. This was a total of over 17.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot-containers) imported, or roughly 200,000 more containers than 2011. Slow and steady growth seems to be the consistent pattern for the year as import volume still has not returned to 2007 or 2008 levels. Zepol has seen a large spike from 2009 to 2010 and then a plateau-like trend for the past three years, although 2012 was an especially unique year for U.S. imports.