Peak season wanes as U.S. container imports drop 5.4% in Nov.

Recent data from Descartes' latest report shows that in November 2025, U.S. container import volume decreased by 5.4% month-on-month to approximately 2.183 million TEUs, marking a year-on-year decline of 7.8%.

In November 2025, U.S. imports from China fell by 11.3% month-on-month and 19.7% year-on-year to 713,000 TEUs. Compared to the historical peak of 1.023 million TEUs recorded in July 2024, this represents a drop of 30.3%.

At the same time, U.S. imports from India, South Korea, Japan, Germany, and Italy also declined. In November, China's share of U.S. container imports decreased to 32.7% from 34.9% in October.

At the port level, most major U.S. ports experienced declines in container import volumes in November, with larger decreases at the Port of Los Angeles (-9.6%), Port of Long Beach (-7.9%), and Port of Houston (-10%).

In contrast, New York was the only port to achieve growth, with a month-on-month increase of 64.1%.

In terms of market share, ports on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast saw a slight rise, while West Coast ports experienced a minor decline.

Regarding port delays, delays at major U.S. ports increased slightly in November, but there were no clear signs of significant congestion.

On the West Coast, delays increased at Long Beach (up 0.4 days), Oakland (up 0.1 days), and Seattle (up 0.5 days). Tacoma saw the most significant improvement, with delays reduced by 1.5 days, while Los Angeles recorded a decrease of 1.1 days.

On the East Coast and Gulf Coast, delays increased at New York/New Jersey (0.8 days), Savannah (0.7 days), Charleston (1.3 days), Norfolk (1.1 days), and Houston (0.3 days).

Shippers and freight forwarders are reminded to check sailing schedules and freight rate information before shipping and to plan their shipments in advance.

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