US container imports dropped 5.5 per cent in April as importers contend with trade policy uncertainty and geopolitical risks, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group said on Friday.
Containerised import volumes have been hit by shifting trade policies and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping corridor for energy supplies — following US-Israeli strikes on the country.
Import trends are seen as a measure of the health of the US economy — rising when the economy is strong and falling when the economy is weak.
US seaports handled 2,277,965 twenty-foot equivalent units last month, which were down 3.2 per cent from March levels, data from Descartes showed. This marked the first sequential drop in volumes for the month of April since 2022.
Still, last month's container import volumes were about 19 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels from April 2019, which the firm said is a reflection of "continued resilience in underlying demand."
So far in 2026, however, US containerised imports are down five per cent.
Meanwhile, China-origin containerised imports dropped 15.3 per cent year-on-year to 680,778 TEU in April 2026.
Importers are likely to get a "a short-term cash flow boost" as the US Customs and Border Protection agency issues the first tariff refunds from May 12, Descartes said, but warned that policy uncertainty and cost pressures would persist as "replacement tariffs remain in effect."
(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)