US container imports are easing after a prolonged peak season kept port volumes higher than anticipated through summer and early autumn, gCaptain reported, citing the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker. Retailers maintained inbound shipments despite tariffs, inflation and increased transport costs.
Ports monitored by the report handled 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, a 0.4% increase from July but 0.7% below the year-earlier level. August now looks likely to be the busiest month of 2026, replacing September as the expected high point. NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said the annual peak had probably passed, while noting that monthly differences during the extended busy period were small.
The September forecast has been reduced to 2.28 million TEUs from the previous estimate of 2.31 million. Volumes are projected to fall to 2.25 million TEUs in October and 2 million in November. Even so, September and October imports are expected to exceed their year-earlier totals by 8.2% and 8.5%, respectively, according to the figures reported by gCaptain.
Retailers brought goods forward earlier in the year to limit exposure to tariff changes and supply chain uncertainty. That had prompted expectations of an early peak followed by a summer decline. Instead, shipping delays and sustained consumer demand helped keep volumes elevated. Los Angeles recorded its strongest three-month cargo period during June-August, while Savannah handled a September record of 504,015 TEUs, up 3.7% year on year.
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett described a mixed economic picture, with consumer confidence indicators reaching multi-year lows even as spending remained robust amid rising inflation. Global Port Tracker has nevertheless raised its full-year import projection to 25.8 million TEUs, compared with last month’s estimate of 25.7 million. The revised total would be 1.4% above the 25.4 million TEUs recorded in 2025.
January 2027 imports are forecast at 2.07 million TEUs, down 1.9% year on year, followed by 1.92 million in February, up 1%. Gold said most holiday stock was already in the country, leaving retailers focused on final replenishment and preparations for early 2027 rather than another major year-end import wave.