Container volumes into U.S. ports slowed through the first half of 2019 due to the overhang from last year’s push to bring in containers ahead of tariffs and the uncertain economic outlook.
Thanks to the trade war with China, trans-Pacific import volumes took the biggest hit.
The 10 largest U.S. ports by throughput reported loaded imports of 9.96 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the six-month period ending June 30. The year-to-date total represents a growth rate of 2.1 percent.