The new edition of the September Global Shipping Report, which was recently issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, pointed to another strong month of United States-bound import levels.
The is the 38th edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.
From August to September, the report stated that U.S.-bound container import volumes increased 14.4% annually, coming in at 2,520,935 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking the third consecutive month imports have topped the 2.4 million TEU mark, which has historically stressed U.S. marine logistics infrastructure. September also was up 23.5% compared to pre-pandemic September 2019.
Through the first nine months of 2024, total U.S.-bound imports are up 16.5% compared to the same period in 2019, according to Descartes.
While volumes were up again, the report observed that port transit time delays at most of the top 10 U.S. ports decreased. And while imports were strong, the report said that there are potential challenges related to the recently-inked tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East—which it said could create pressure on supply chains through year-end.
“Despite a third month of elevated container import volumes, port transit delays improved at the majority of the top 10 U.S. ports in September,” said Jackson Wood, Director, Industry Strategy at Descartes. “Imports from China are contributing to overall U.S. volumes, posting the three highest monthly volumes on record in July, August and now September.”
Notable findings in the report included:
- U.S. container imports from China have been at elevated levels over the last three months, with July (1,022,913 TEUs), August (975,129 TEUs) and now September (989,425 TEUs) posting the three highest monthly volumes on record, with Chinese import volumes in September were down 3.3% from July’s all-time high;
- container import volumes at the top 10 U.S. ports rose by 46,855 TEUs, a 2.2% increase compared to August 2024. The ports of Long Beach (up 50,401 TEUs), Charleston (up 13,357 TEUs), and Baltimore (up 6,144 TEUs) saw the largest gains. In contrast, the ports of New York/New Jersey (down 19,731 TEUs), Savannah (down 7,730 TEUs), and Tacoma (down 2,435 TEUs) experienced the most significant month-over-month declines; and
- U.S. container import volume from the top 10 countries of origin (CoO) fell by 41,680 TEUs, representing a 2.2% decline from August. Among these countries, Vietnam (up 31,259 TEUs), India (up 19,410 TEUs), and Thailand (up 14,330 TEUs) experienced the largest volume increases. In contrast, Germany (down 11,479 TEUs), South Korea (down 8,291 TEUs), and Italy (down 7,485 TEUs) recorded the most significant volume decreases, among others
Please click here to read the complete report.
