Insights

April U.S. containerized imports declined 5.5% year-over-year to 2.27 million TEU and were down 3.2% compared to March volumes. However, as we move through the second half of May, we are seeing an increase in new booking activity originating on the trade.

Continued overcapacity on the Transpacific trade, combined with soft import volumes during the first half of March, is putting downward pressure on freight rates through the end of the month.

As noted in our January update, blank sailings have taken center stage during the Lunar New Year, leading to increased rollovers and renewed port congestion—particularly at ports handling transshipment cargo. The spike in canceled sailings is expected to create service reliability issues into early March, until capacity stabilizes with the rollout of new 2026–27 pro forma services.