Feb US container imports fall 6.5% YoY; 4th-highest to date: Descartes

However, underlying US demand remains relatively stable despite ongoing policy uncertainty, it noted.

US ‌seaports last month handled 2,093,422 ‌20-foot equivalent units (TEUs)—the fourth-strongest February on record.

"This performance underscores the relative resilience of US import demand even amid ongoing policy and economic uncertainty,” the firm said, adding that February 2025 import volumes were likely inflated by importer frontloading aimed at rushing in goods before President Donald Trump’s new tariffs hit.

Imports from China totaled 728,562 TEUs last month—down by 16.5 per cent YoY. After posting a 9.3 per cent MoM increase in January, container imports from China declined by 5.5 per cent MoM in February.

China’s share of total US container imports increased marginally to 34.8 per cent, Descartes said, as imports from India, Thailand and South Korea each reported larger declines.

“Trade conditions are increasingly being shaped by geopolitical escalation and policy shifts,” Descartes observed in a release.

MoM volumes from the top 10 countries of origin were also down in February, decreasing by 9.4 per cent compared to January’s MoM increase of 7 per cent.  Although Southeast Asia remains a structural growth contributor, gains from the region were insufficient to offset wider sourcing declines.

At the same time, the broader trade environment grew more complex in February. The outbreak of war in the Middle East has significantly escalated tensions, reintroducing acute risk across key maritime corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.

Heightened security concerns, vessel rerouting and rising risks have delayed hopes for sustained route normalisation and is increasing cost uncertainty for carriers and shippers, Descartes observed.

In parallel, shifts in US tariff authority following a Supreme Court ruling, continued transatlantic trade friction, expanded tariff policies linked to Cuban oil trade, and the implementation of a revised US-India trade framework reinforce a global trade policy landscape that remains in flux, it added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)