News
Import volume at U.S. major container ports is expected to taper off for the remainder of the year following an extended peak season that has kept docks busy since the spring, according to a Global Port Tracker (GPT) report released on Monday by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates (HA).
The U.S. ports covered by GPT handled 2.37 million TEUs of loaded imports in September, up 3.4% from August and up 12.6% year over year to make September the busiest month of the year. It was the third-busiest month since GPT began keeping records, topped only by 2.39 million TEUs in July 2025 and 2.4 million TEUs in May 2022.
Ports have not yet reported October numbers, but GPT projects the month at 2.26 million TEUs, up 9.1% year over year. November is forecast at 2.05 million TEUs, up 1.2%, and December at 2.03 million TEUs, up 1.3%.
January 2027 is forecast at 2.04 million TEUs, down 3%; February at 1.89 million TEUs, down 0.5%, and March at 1.92 million TEUs, down 11.2%.
