US To Hit Historic Import Gap For US Container Ports

12 Sep US To Hit Historic Import Gap For US Container Ports

While July saw a 3.2% year-on-year increase in inbound container volume through top U.S. ports, this was a temporary surge due to front loading to get goods in prior to the tariffs taking effect in August.

Regardless of this surge, inbound container volume has shown a consistent downward trend for six months, with a projected 5.6% year-over-year decrease in total 2025 import volume.

Outbound volume in July was down 0.3%, the fourth straight decline coming after decreases of 1.7% in June and 2.3% in May.

For the three-month period ending in July, inbound volume was down 3.7%, which continues the consistent downward trend since the three months ending in January when it showed a 14.0% increase.

It is projected that the total 2025 import volume will reflect a 5.6% year-over-year decrease. Given that year-to-date volume for the first seven months of 2025 was up 3.6%, that projection translates into volume for the five months remaining in 2025 to be down 17.5%, with this drop predominantly driven by tariffs.

These numbers indicate that US container volume is decreasing at a rate exceeding global trends. Indicators also show evidence of inbound volume initially destined for North America shifting away from U.S. ports.

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