US Container Imports Slump as Trump Tariffs Reshape Global Trade

American container imports ended 2025 in a four-month decline that analysts warn will extend deep into 2026, as President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policies trigger a fundamental reshaping of global commerce away from US ports.

Inbound volumes plummeted 6.4% year-over-year in December to 1.9 million twenty-foot container units, according to industry analyst John McCown's monthly tally of the nation's top ten gateways. The slide follows a 5.7% drop the previous month, marking a sustained contraction unseen since the 2018 trade war.

"The downward turn in 2025 was due solely to tariffs," McCown wrote in his latest report. "Unfortunately there is nothing at present that suggests it will be short-lived."

The data reveals a striking reversal of fortune for American ports. The Port of Los Angeles, the country's busiest maritime cargo facility, saw imports rise 3.3% in the first half of 2025 before tumbling 4.2% in the second half. Through January 2026, preliminary figures show volumes down another 2.2%.

The contraction reflects how companies frontloaded shipments in early 2025 to beat Trump's tariff implementation, then drew down those stockpiles through year's end. That whipsaw pattern left retailers with bloated inventories and sharply reduced appetite for new imports heading into 2026.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world is moving on. November imports into Africa surged 25.3%, while the Middle East-India region jumped 16.4%. Latin America registered 14.6% growth, with Europe up 11.3%.

"Volume growth in most regions remains robust and world trade is moving on without the US," McCown observed. "World container supply chains have begun to adapt and reconfigure trading patterns faster than I would have thought."

ING economists this week called the shift "a global recalibration and the start of a new era" in international commerce, as the US slides from trade growth leader to laggard.