News
Imports at the U.S.'s major retail container ports remain at higher-than-usual levels as a possible increase in tariffs on goods from China approaches in March, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report.
U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.97 million TEUs in December, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 8.8 percent from November and 13.9 percent year-over-year. That brought 2018 to a record 21.8 million TEUs, an increase of 6.2 percent over 2017's previous record of 20.5 million TEUs.
January was estimated at 1.83 million TEUs, up 4.1 percent from January 2018. February is forecast at 1.78 million TEUs, up 5.7 percent year-over-year; March at 1.6 million TEUs, up 3.8 percent; April at 1.76 million TEUs, up 7.7 percent; May at 1.89 million TEUs, up 3.4 percent, and June at 1.86 million TEUs, up 0.3 percent. That would bring the first half of 2019 to 10.7 million TEUs, up 4.1 percent over the first half of 2018.
