US container imports surged 8.2 per cent in June from the year earlier, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Wednesday, after buyers rushed in goods to avoid potential new tariffs and higher transportation costs tied to the US-Israeli war in Iran.
US seaports handled 2,400,627 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) last month. For the first half of 2026, imports were down 0.3 per cent from the same period in 2025, Descartes said.
Analysts and shippers said many importers moved cargo early to front-run a July 1 increase in ocean freight costs tied to container ship operators belatedly adding to contracts higher fuel costs tied to the oil spike that resulted from the war in Iran.
The US is also expected to impose new tariffs tied to forced labour at the end of July, they added.
China accounted for most of the year-over-year growth in imports. Volume from that country jumped 27.4 per cent year-over-year, totalling 814,474 TEU in June, Descartes said.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Editing by David Gregorio)