U.S. containerized imports rose 1.8% year over year in July but are projected to decline steadily for the rest of 2025, according to the latest Global Port Tracker (GPT) report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates (HA).
Ports covered by GPT handled 2.36 million TEUs in July, up 20.1% from June as retailers front-loaded cargo ahead of new tariffs that took effect in August. July’s volume marked the second-busiest month on record, behind only May 2022.
GPT projects August at 2.28 million TEUs, down 1.7% year over year. September is forecast at 2.12 million TEUs (-6.8%), October at 1.95 million (-13.2%), and November at 1.74 million (-19.7%). December is expected to fall to 1.7 million TEUs, the lowest since March 2023.
“Tariffs have had a significant impact on trade,” said HA founder Ben Hackett, adding that the outlook for the final months of 2025 is “not optimistic.”
The first half of 2025 totaled 12.53 million TEUs, up 3.6% year over year, but full-year imports are forecast at 24.7 million TEUs, down 3.4% from 2024.
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