The Global Tracker Report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates indicates that U.S. container imports will likely remain strong through spring but may record a year-over-year decline in the summer.

Retailers are frontloading goods due to concerns about new tariffs on Chinese imports, which have already doubled from 10% to 20%, with the possibility of further hikes in April. While retail sales dipped by -0.22% in February due to winter weather and tariff worries, year-over-year growth remains stable at 3.38%. Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy, emphasized that tariffs ultimately hurt American consumers rather than foreign governments, as the higher costs get passed down to consumers.

Additionally, proposed U.S. port tolls on Chinese-built ships on a per-port-call basis add further complexity. “Given that a significant portion of the global container fleet has been built in China, this means that there will be further costs that will be passed on to cargo owners and ultimately the consumer,” Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates said. He predicts that this will place additional pressure on major U.S. ports while negatively impacting the smaller hubs.

Source: American Shipper