April 09, 2026
According to the latest data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.95 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units - one 20-foot container or its equivalent - in February, although the Port of New York/New Jersey has not yet reported its data. That was down 7.5% from January and down 4.2% year over year. February is traditionally the slowest month of the year because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia.
Ports have not reported March numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.97 million TEU, down 8.3% year over year. April is forecast at 2.08 million TEU, down 5.6 year over year; May at 2.09 million TEU, up 7.3%; June at 2.1 million TEU, up 6.9%; July at 2.2 million TEU, down 8%, and August at 2.18 million TEU, down 6%.
Those numbers would bring the first half of 2026 to 12.3 million TEU, down 1.8% from 12.53 million TEU during the same period in 2025. The year-over-year increases in May and June are largely because of the sharp drop-off in imports during those months last year after "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced in April 2025.
Imports totaled 25.4 million TEU in 2025, down 0.3% from 25.5 million TEU in 2024.
Source: NRF