Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to remain below year-ago levels into early fall despite temporary gains in May and June, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Amid the shifting tariff regime, U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.16 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, one 20-foot container or its equivalent, during March, the latest month for which final data is available. The figure was up 0.6% year over year and 13.6% from February, when many Asian factories were closed for Lunar New Year celebrations and bad weather delayed cargo arrivals at some U.S. ports.
Although ports have not yet reported April numbers, Port Tracker projected the month at 2.13 million TEU, down 3.6% year over year. It forecast May at 2.17 million TEU, up 11.1% year over year; June at 2.13 million TEU, up 8.2%; July at 2.2 million TEU, down 7.8%; August at 2.19 million TEU, down 5.5%; and September at 2.08 million TEU, down 1.3%.
In aggregate, the numbers would bring the first half of 2026 to 12.59 million TEU, up 0.5% from the same period in 2025, supported in part by projected gains in May and June.
Imports totaled 25.4 million TEU in 2025, down 0.3% from 2024’s 25.5 million TEU.
“The numbers show a year-over-year increase for the next two months, but that’s only because of the sharp fall-off in imports after Liberation Day tariffs were announced in April 2025,” NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said in announcing the port numbers. “With inflation rising and consumer confidence falling among global economic uncertainty driven by the conflict in Iran, the overall trend of lower imports is expected to continue after that.”
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said retailers have remained cautious about inventory levels amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
“Containerized imports in the first quarter were down year over year, and forward demand is weakening,” Hackett said. “Stalling re-stocking efforts and rising geopolitical tensions are increasingly clouding the outlook.”
Global Port Tracker, produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast, New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.
