US container imports drop 5.4% in November: Descartes

US container import volumes fell to 2,183,048 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in November 2025, down 5.4 per cent from October, according to the December Global Shipping Report released by Descartes Systems Group.

The decline broadly reflected normal seasonality, a shorter working month and Thanksgiving-related slowdowns. Imports from China were the main drag, plunging 11.3 per cent month on month (MoM) and accounting for most of the overall contraction.

Despite the monthly drop, Descartes noted that November 2025 still ranked as the fourth-strongest November on record, behind only 2020, 2021 and 2024, underscoring the underlying resilience of US import demand amid policy and economic uncertainty. However, volumes were 7.8 per cent lower than November 2024, signalling a clear year-on-year (YoY) cooling.

For the first eleven months of 2025, total US container imports were just 0.1 per cent higher than the same period in 2024. This represents a sharp deceleration from nearly 10 per cent year-to-date growth seen in January, pointing to the fading impact of early-year frontloading, a cooling economic backdrop and softer consumer demand.

Country-of-origin data showed broad-based weakness. Imports from the top ten sourcing countries fell 9.3 per cent YoY in November, translating into a combined loss of 156,831 TEUs. China alone recorded a drop of 174,650 TEUs, or 19.7 per cent. Additional declines were seen from India (18.9 per cent), South Korea (16.3 per cent), Japan (8.9 per cent), Germany (5.2 per cent), Italy (5.6 per cent) and Hong Kong (1.9 per cent).

In contrast, several Southeast Asian suppliers continued to gain share. Vietnam’s shipments rose 15.4 per cent YoY, Thailand surged 27.2 per cent and Indonesia increased 18 per cent.

These gains highlight ongoing sourcing diversification, although they were insufficient to counterbalance the scale of China’s decline, Descartes said.

Port transit time delays edged higher for a second consecutive month in November, but Descartes stressed there were no signs of systemic congestion. Looking ahead, the report pointed to a cautious but steady outlook for US importers, with uncertainty lingering around the legal challenge to Liberation Day tariffs and continued carrier caution in the Red Sea corridor.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)