The February edition of the Global Shipping Report, which was recently issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, set a new all-time January record for United States-bound import levels.
The is the 42nd edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.
Descartes reported that January U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,487,470 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—posted a 9.4% annual gain, while also setting a new record for the month, topping the previous high, which was set in 2022. This marks the seventh straight month that U.S.-bound imports have been around the 2.4 million TEU range, with ports managing to avoid severe congestion over that period, according to the report—which it called a “stark contrast” to previous surges that led to major disruptions.
U.S. imports from China—at 997,909 TEU (2.4% below the July 2024 all-time high, at 1,022,912 TEU), saw a 10.2% annual increase and a 10.6% sequential gain, with the report noting that this increase was driven by importers bringing shipments in ahead of the recently-announced and implemented additional 10% tariff placed on U.S. imports from China and also the timing of the Lunar New Year, from January 29-February 12. Which Descartes said “creates uncertainty for importers and may disrupt trade flow in the coming months.”
“Descartes’ February logistics update underscores a strong start to 2025 in terms of overall U.S. container import volumes but also highlights the risks tied to trade policy tensions,” the report said. “U.S. importers are facing higher costs as tariffs evolve, which could disrupt global trade patterns. Ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East adds another layer of complexity. These combined factors present the potential for supply chain volatility during the early months of 2025, posing challenges for businesses navigating this unpredictable environment.”
Other key findings in the report included:
- container import volumes at the top 10 U.S. ports rose by 160,995 TEU, an 8.3% increase compared to December 2024. The Port of Long Beach saw the largest volume increase, up 85,008 TEU, followed by New York/New Jersey (up 68,167 TEU) and Seattle (up 16,858 TEUs). Conversely, the Port of Savannah saw the largest decline (down 16,695 TEUs), followed by Tacoma (down 7,222 TEU). The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Houston recorded their highest January volumes in seven years, with 484,232 TEU, 475,376 TEU and 166,944 TEU, respectively;
- January 2025, U.S. container import volume from the top 10 countries of origin (CoO) increased by 117,140 TEUs, representing a 6.9% increase from December). Among these countries, China (up 95,390 TEU) and Vietnam (up 18,364 TEU) experienced the largest volume increases. In contrast, Germany (down 10,020 TEU) recorded the most significant volume decrease; and
- the top five West Coast ports continued to capture a larger share of U.S. container import volumes compared to their East and Gulf Coast counterparts. January data highlights a widening gap despite the East and Gulf Coast’s share increasing from 37.1% to 37.7% and the West Coast’s share increasing by a smaller margin of 1.9% to reach 46.8%. Overall, the dominance of the top 10 ports strengthened in January, capturing 84.5% of total U.S. imports, up from 82.0% in December
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