Import cargo volume falls in Feb. amid tariffs; Iran not yet factor
Imports at major U.S. container ports remained below prior year levels in February 2026 as tariff headwinds continued affecting ocean freight activity.
That's according to the Global Port Tracker report, which is produced for the National Retail Federation by Hackett Associates. While the Supreme Court has struck down IEEPA tariffs, other tariffs have already been implemented by President Donald Trump and others may be coming. In addition, Trump has set a new 50% tariff on goods from any country supplying military weapons to Iran.
[READ MORE: Supreme Court rules against tariffs; Trump sets 15% global levy]
The report also indicates that import volume at major U.S. container ports is not yet being significantly affected by the conflict in Iran, but ocean carriers are seeing a related increase in fuel costs that could eventually affect retailers and their customers.
However, the report was compiled before the U.S. and Iran reached a 14-day ceasefire agreement that will last through Tuesday, April 21. First announced by Trump in a Truth Social post, the ceasefire is intended to allow the U.S. and Iran time to reach a permanent end to hostilities.
“Just because retailers don’t import a lot of merchandise from the Middle East doesn’t mean the U.S. supply chain isn’t affected by the turmoil there,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy. “The supply chain is global and disruptions anywhere along it can have ripple effects whether it’s rerouting of vessels, equipment out of position, higher fuel costs for shippers or rising gas prices that leave less money in consumers’ pockets. In the meantime, retailers continue to face rising tariffs and continued trade policy uncertainty that put downward pressure on imports and upward pressure on prices.”
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said volume at U.S. container imports has been slowed by tariffs but is not being significantly affected by the situation in Iran because little U.S. container cargo comes from the region. It is too soon to assess the impact of the two-week ceasefire announced on Tuesday, April 7, he said.
“The United States is less impacted operationally as there is no shortage of fuel at U.S. ports, but the price of fuel here is based on international pricing,” Hackett said. “Higher fuel costs drive up the price of shipping a container for either import or export and ultimately have an inflationary impact on consumers and other end users.”
U.S. ports handle fewer containers
U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.95 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs)— one 20-foot container or its equivalent — in February 2026, although the Port of New York/New Jersey has not yet reported its data. That was down 7.5% from January and down 4.2% year over year. February is traditionally the slowest month of the year because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia, according to NRF/Hackett Associates data.
Ports have not reported March 2026 numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.97 million TEU, down 8.3% year over year. April is forecast at 2.08 million TEU, down 5.6 year over year; May at 2.09 million TEU, up 7.3%; June at 2.1 million TEU, up 6.9%; July at 2.2 million TEU, down 8%, and August at 2.18 million TEU, down 6%.
Those numbers would bring the first half of 2026 to 12.3 million TEU, down 1.8% from 12.53 million TEU during the same period in 2025. The year-over-year increases in May and June are largely because of the sharp drop-off in imports during those months in 2025 after “Liberation Day” tariffs were announced in April 2025.
Imports totaled 25.4 million TEU in 2025, down 0.3% from 25.5 million TEU in 2024.
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.
