Port Tracker

For May, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.4 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—increased 6% compared to April and was up 2.7% annually. What’s more, this tally represents a new monthly import record, going back to when NRF initially began tracking imports, coming in ahead of the previous record, of 2.34 million TEU, set in March.

United States-bound retail container import volumes are expected to approach near-record volumes against the backdrop of retailers striving to meet ongoing strong demand levels and also hedging against potential West Coast port labor disruptions, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

United States-bound retail container import volumes are seeing strong spring volumes, setting a new record in the process, as retailers focus on bringing in merchandise ahead of increasing costs and supply chain issues, according to the new edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued late last week by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

United States-bound retail container imports are starting to get caught up to the months-long run stretch of backlogs, while the possibility of a summer surge looms, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

United States-bound retail container imports are expected to remain at high, if not record-breaking, levels, driven by the combination of strong consumer demand and ongoing supply chain challenges causing congestion

For December, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.09 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was off 1.2% compared to November and was down 1% annually. May 2021 remains the all-time highest-volume month, at 2.33 million TEU). And for calendar year 2021, imports came in at 25.8 million TEU, for a 17.4% annual increase, setting a new record and breaking the previous record, of 22 million TEU, set in 2020 against the backdrop of the pandemic.

A return to normalcy, as it relates to import levels, is expected in 2022, following a 2021, which ostensibly saw new record United States-bound import numbers on a near monthly basis, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker Report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

The report explained that 2021 imports are expected to come in at 26 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), which would represent an 18.3% annual increase over 2020’s current record, at 22 million TEU (up 1.9% over 2019) and also mark the highest annual tally, for the report, since it initially commenced tracking imports in 2002.

United States retail container import levels are expected to remain elevated through the balance of 2021, amid going port congestion and related supply chain issues, according to the most recent issue of the Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Consultants.

United States retail container import levels are expected to remain elevated but may be in line for a decline, due to port congestion, according to the most recent edition of the Global Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

For August, which marks the beginning of the traditional Peak Season, with retailers stocking up for holiday merchandise, and, for this year, moving up shipments earlier in order to have needed available holiday season inventory, the report is calling for 2.27 million TEU, for a 7.8% annual gain.

For June, the most recent month for which data is available, import volumes came in at 2.15 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), down 7.8% compared to May’s record-high of 2.33 million TEU and up 33.7% compared to June 2020, a period when many stores remained shut down because of the pandemic.

For May, the most recent month for which data is available, import volumes came in at 2.33 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), an 8.6% increase over April and a 52.2% annual increase.

For April, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume came in at 2.15 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), marking a 33.4% annual gain, for its best April reading ever, compared to April 2020, when the majority of stores were closed, due to the pandemic. This came on the heels of March’s 2.27 million TEU, the record-high for any month, going back to when NRF first started tracking imports.

The report is calling for volumes to remain at or above the 2 million TEU range for 11 of 13 months through August 2021, whereas that level had previously only hit the 2 million TEU mark only one month, in October 2018.