U.S. Container Import Volumes Decrease from May, but Pull Ahead of 2019 Performance

In June, U.S. container import volumes decreased slightly compared to May, according to new data from Descartes Systems Group.

Although the decline was not as much as in previous years, volumes were higher than pre-pandemic 2019.

From Descartes Systems Group:

• Port transit times decreased to their lowest levels since Descartes began tracking them. The U.S. West Coast labor situation appears to be resolved with a tentative agreement between the parties, but the major Canadian West Coast ports are in the throes of a strike.
• The July update of logistics metrics shows slightly stronger import volume performance than previous years and signs that key challenges to global supply chain performance in 2023, such as U.S. West Coast labor relations and port transit time delays, continue to improve.
• June U.S. container import volumes decreased 0.7% from May to 2,081,793 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) vs. June 2022, TEU volume was down 16.1%, but up 6.0% from pre-pandemic June 2019.
• Unlike the first four months of 2023, the growth in import volume in June accelerated past 2019 volumes by 2.1% for the same period in each year.