News
Across major North America West Coast (NAWC) container ports, the second quarter of 2026 was defined by regulatory volatility, regional volume divergence, and empty container repositioning dynamics.
Facing a hard July 24 deadline for new permanent trade tariffs following earlier judicial reversals, shippers front‑loaded inbound cargo into the NAWC. Major NAWC ports processed 3.7 million TEUs of laden imports, marking a robust year-on-year growth of 7.1%.
The aggregate 7.1% coastal growth in laden imports is not the result of uniform regional performance. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach posted commanding increases in laden imports of 13.8% and 12%, respectively. Throughput increased 5.3% at Oakland. These favorable figures highlight a strong routing preference to move discretionary cargo through the Pacific Southwest (PSW).
In stark contrast, the Pacific Northwest (PNW) corridor experienced inbound volume declines across all major ports. Vancouver incurred a 4.8% drop, but a downturn steepened significantly for the Northwest Seaport Alliance (9.2%), while Prince Rupert suffered the most severe regional impact, plummeting 12.4%.
The quarter was also marked by pronounced intra‑quarter volatility. After opening on a soft note in April, the market hit a sharp inflection point in May, where total handled volumes surged by 12.7% and laden imports spiked by an extraordinary 19.8%.
