Descartes releases May Global Shipping Report: April U.S. container imports post strong growth despite trade headwinds

Descartes Systems Group, the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, released its May Global Shipping Report for logistics and supply chain professionals. In April 2025, U.S. container imports increased 1.2% over March and 9.1% compared to the same month last year, surpassing 2.4 million TEUs for the second time this year. The top West Coast ports regained market share from the top East and Gulf Coast ports in April, after losing market share last month for the first time in nine months. Despite rising volumes in April, overall port transit time delays decreased significantly over March and are at their lowest since Descartes began tracking them in 2021.

April imports from China increased 5.4% over March and 6.2% compared to the same month last year, accounting for 33.4% of total U.S. inbound container volume. The April update of the logistics metrics Descartes is tracking shows continued growth in import performance following a strong rebound in March, but volatile global trade conditions remain. Quickly evolving U.S. trade policies and retaliatory measures from U.S. trading partners and ongoing instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe are complicating trade flows and heightening the risks of global supply chain disruption.

U.S. container imports grow despite trade headwinds.

In April 2025, U.S. container import volumes remained robust, reaching 2,410,371 TEUs—an increase of 1.2% over March (see Figure 1). Year-over-year, April volumes were 9.1% higher than April 2024 and stood 25.6% above April 2019, underscoring continued strength compared to both recent and pre-pandemic levels. Cumulatively, imports for the first four months of 2025 were up 8.6% compared to the same period in 2024, showing resilience even as elevated tariffs and geopolitical risks add new pressures to global trade.

Imports from the top 10 countries of origin (CoO) rose by 45,730 TEUs in April 2025, a 2.8% increase over March (see Figure 2). Several countries posted solid gains, including Italy (up 9.7%), Vietnam (up 6.2%), and Thailand (up 3.6%). China saw the largest volume increase, with imports rising by 41,292 TEUs (5.4%), again, likely reflecting pre-tariff shipping activity. At the same time, five of the top 10 saw declines, led by Germany (down 6.9%) and India (down 6.7%). Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea also posted moderate decreases.

While container import growth remained strong in April, it may be, in part, because U.S. importers are continuing to pull shipments forward ahead of new U.S. tariffs, in particular the 145% tariff on Chinese goods implemented on April 9,” said Jackson Wood, Director, Industry Strategy at Descartes. “Since the new elevated tariffs do not apply to goods already in transit when the tariffs were implemented, the tariff impact may be reflected more significantly in May container import volumes.”

The May report is Descartes’ forty-fifth installment since beginning its analysis in August 2021. To read past reports, learn more about the key economic and logistics factors driving global shipping, and review strategies to help address challenges in the near-, short- and long-term, visit Descartes’ Global Shipping Resource Center.