U.S. September imports hit 2026 high at 2.37 million TEUs

By Amara Osei

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.37 million loaded TEUs in September, 12.6% above a year earlier and 3.4% above August, the 2026 high.

The National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates reported that September ranked third in the tracker’s history. Only July 2025, at 2.39 million TEUs, and May 2022, at 2.4 million TEUs, delivered more.

The result exceeded NRF’s September forecast by roughly 90,000 TEUs. NRF had expected August to mark the annual peak, followed by a slight September decline to 2.28 million TEUs.

“U.S. ports have seen high volume levels throughout this year’s longer-than-usual peak season and numbers are still strong even as the season winds down,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. Stronger-than-expected September volume supplied the peak with an extended ending.

What does this change for shippers and forwarders?

Most seasonal merchandise has already reached the United States, according to Gold. Retailers therefore have less immediate need to accelerate holiday replenishment shipments, while carriers and ports can expect import demand to remain firm through October before easing.

The practical change is a shifting volume curve rather than an abrupt collapse. Forwarders can plan against published monthly declines, while shippers still face rail-transfer delays at congested West Coast ports. The holiday stock has arrived; getting it inland has proved less punctual.

High volumes have not eliminated operational friction. Some ports, particularly on the West Coast, have experienced backups as containers wait for transfer to rail. Shippers face the less glamorous consequence: strong import demand does not guarantee equally prompt inland movement.

Can labor uncertainty disrupt the taper?

Labor uncertainty remains at the nation’s busiest container port complex. International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 represents roughly 250 watchmen at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and continues negotiating a new contract with the Pacific Maritime Association.

The parties extended their existing agreement through Friday, November 20, averting an immediate strike. That deals with the immediate date without settling the longer-term dispute, leaving labor a live scheduling risk for importers using Los Angeles or Long Beach.

For carriers and terminals, the extension removes one near-term disruption, not the underlying uncertainty. For shippers and forwarders, rail backlogs and contract negotiations remain separate constraints despite the strong September throughput.

Why did the peak season run so long?

Changing U.S. tariff policies drove much of the extended season by repeatedly prompting retailers to adjust shipment timing. Major ports have remained busy since spring despite tariffs, inflation and mounting pressure on supply chains.

Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the import surge that began in 2025 appeared to be winding down earlier in 2026 after the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs. New tariffs introduced during the second quarter then triggered another import wave beginning in May and continuing through mid-October.

The result was not one synchronized rush, but a long sequence shaped by policy and consumer demand. “Consumer spending supported this influx, with households continuing to buy despite rising inflation,” Hackett said.

What do the late-2026 and 2027 forecasts show?

Global Port Tracker expects imports to decline through the final months of 2026 while remaining above year-earlier levels. Its monthly path is:

• October: 2.26 million TEUs, up 9.1% year over year.
• November: 2.05 million TEUs, up 1.2%.
• December: 2.03 million TEUs, up 1.3%.

Full-year 2026 imports now stand forecast at 26 million TEUs, a 2% increase from 2025’s 25.4 million TEUs. That marks another upward revision from NRF’s October forecast of 25.8 million TEUs, which is welcome arithmetic for carriers after an unusually long peak.

The slower start forecast for 2027 includes:

• January: 2.04 million TEUs, down 3% year over year.
• February: 1.89 million TEUs, down 0.5%.
• March: 1.92 million TEUs, down 11.2%.

March carries the steepest projected percentage decline, reversing the year-on-year gains expected through December. Carriers can plan for softer loaded-container demand, while retailers and forwarders can use the published curve to time replenishment rather than assume September’s 12.6% growth will persist.

Global Port Tracker covers loaded imports at major ports on the East, West and Gulf coasts, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, Savannah and Houston. The base case points to a gradual 2027 contraction after a 26 million-TEU 2026, leaving tariff timing, rail congestion and unresolved labor negotiations as the variables most likely to alter the curve.