The peak port season has continued longer than expected, with a final import bump anticipated for September that could push it to become the busiest volume month of 2026 at the major container landings in the United States, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
U.S. ports covered by the report handled 2.3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, or one 20-foot container or its equivalent, in July, the latest month with available final numbers. The figure is down 3.9% from the month a year earlier but up 3.2% from June.
Ports have not yet reported August numbers, but Global Port Tracker has projected the month at 2.29 million TEU, down 1.3% year over year. It forecast September at 2.31 million TEU, up 9.6% year over year, slightly ahead of July, which would make the month the busiest of 2026. As recently as August, it appeared that May’s 2.24 million TEU would make the month the year’s busiest as retailers brought in merchandise early ahead of potential tariff increases. However, ongoing high import levels have stretched out the peak season to its traditional timing of late summer and early autumn, according to NRF and Hackett.
Port Tracker anticipates cargo volumes dropping to 2.11 million TEU in October, but that still would be up 1.7% year over year. November is forecast at two million TEU, down 0.9% year over year, and December at 2.03 million TEU, up 1.1% year over year. Those numbers would bring 2026 to a 25.7 million TEU total, up 1% from 2025’s 25.4 million TEU. The first half of 2026 totaled 12.7 million TEU, up 1.1% from the 2025 period.
The Port Tracker forecast January 2027 at 2.09 million TEU, down 1% from the month this year.
“We thought the peak season would be mostly behind us by now, but that’s not the case,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Some of the shift from earlier in the summer to now is because of vessel delays due to bad weather in China and some rerouting away from the Panama Canal amid potential drought conditions there. But consumers keep buying despite tariffs, inflation and high fuel prices, and retailers keep bringing in merchandise to meet demand.”
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett, citing tariff increases along, inflation and rising fuel prices related to the Iran conflict, added: “Imports have remained buoyant over the past three months despite several hurdles. Retail sales remain strong and cargo is moving relatively smoothly, although there are reports of vessel delays and increased times required for cargo to move through the supply chain.”
Global Port Tracker, produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and outlooks 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.
