Almost all major U.S. ports have dropped sharply

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Descartes data shows that the consequences of Trump's 2.0 tariffs have emerged, and U.S. container imports fell sharply in May 2025 after several months of growth. At the same time, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said in an interview recently that from late May to early June, about half of the dock workers in the Port of Los Angeles had no jobs.

Specifically, in May 2025, the U.S. container imports reached 2177453TEU, a month-on-month decrease of 9.7% and a year-on-year decrease of 7.2%. This is mainly due to the Trump 2.0 tariffs, which have led to a sharp drop in imports from China.

In May 2025, the U.S. imports from China fell 20.8% from April to 637,000 TEU, a year-on-year decrease of 28.5%, the largest monthly decline since March 2020. Obviously, all this comes from Trump's random tariff stick. Despite this, China remains the largest source of U.S. container imports, accounting for 29.3% of the total.

Historical data shows that under normal circumstances, the United States' imports in May increased compared with April, except for the 2020 epidemic. 2025 was the only year of month-on-month decline (9.7%) in the past seven years, reflecting a slowdown in imports after early shipments, especially the impact of Trump's 2.0 tariffs.

At the port level, imports from China by almost all major U.S. ports dropped sharply in May. Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles had the biggest drop, down 31.6% and 29.9%, respectively, down 129,000 TEUs. The declines in major ports such as New York/Newark and Savannah were relatively moderate. This difference may suggest that shippers prioritize faster trans-Pacific routes over transporting goods through Panama or even the Suez Canal, highlighting how tariffs quickly reshape trade routes.

For the top 10 ports in the United States, the total U.S. container imports in May 2025 fell by 217,112 TEU or 10.7% compared with April. In particular, Los Angeles and Long Beach fell by 22.4% and 18.4% respectively. Tacoma also fell sharply by 25.6%, while Houston fell 8.6%. New York/New Jersey and Oakland saw smaller losses, down 2.9% and 2.2% respectively. Overall, imports from major U.S. ports generally shrank.

The market share of the U.S. Eastern and U.S. Gulf ports still exceed that of the U.S. Western ports, and the gap widens

In May 2025, the market share of the US East and the US Bay West Ports still exceeded that of the US West Ports, and the gap widened again. In May 2025, the market share of the top five ports in the Eastern and Gulf increased to 44.5% (3.1%). The top five ports in the United States and the West fell from about 42.5% to 38.1% (-4.4%).

Employment opportunities in ports have dropped sharply

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said in an interview recently that the consequences of Trump's 2.0 tariffs have emerged. From the end of May to the beginning of June, about half of the dock workers in the Port of Los Angeles were not working.

The Port of Los Angeles cargo throughput in May was 25% lower than expected due to Trump 2.0 tariffs, and dock workers were not laid off, but their job opportunities were not as many as before.

He pointed out that as the impact of US tariff measures on international trade gradually emerges, especially in the past May, "we really saw a downward trend in employment opportunities."

He said the current port employment situation is "the biggest drop seen in his career except during the epidemic."

He expects this situation to improve significantly soon, "the current forecast for June data is far from the usual level."

In fact, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the West are the largest port complex in the United States and the most important trade import and export container ports in the United States, providing employment opportunities for thousands of dock workers, heavy equipment operators and truck drivers.

The value of trade

Meanwhile, Long Beach Port CEO Mario Cordero said of an analysis based on the impact of freight volumes on the U.S. economy based on 2023, “At present, all eyes are focused on international trade and we have solid data that Long Beach Port provides power to the U.S. economy.”

The analysis conclusion shows that Long Beach Port provides more than 2.7 million jobs to the United States, generates 6 billion in revenue, and contributes 9 billion to the U.S. GDP.

Long Beach Port investment manager Kimberly Ritter Martinez said the port can bring about an economic ripple effect. "It's kind of like throwing stones into a pond. Whether it's freight business, investment or tourism, it benefits the entire region and eventually reaches every corner of the United States."

She explained that the direct impact is the value of cargo loading, construction and tourism work created by the port, and the indirect impact is the value of goods and services such as supply chain activities, equipment expenses, building materials, consulting services and related work.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the analysis clearly demonstrates the stakes at a time when tariffs could significantly reduce international trade between the United States and the rest of the world.

"This is not an abstract number, but a matter of American livelihood..."

"Trade is two-way, and what we need is certainty," Rex Richardson notes.

“For workers, buyers and suppliers, there is still a lot of uncertainty and needs to be resolved through long-term, stable trade policies.”

Delays in US and West ports surge in May

Overall, delays in the top 10 ports in the United States remained largely stable, with the exception of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where the situation deteriorated significantly. Long Beach has increased delays by 5.7 days to 6.9 days, the highest of all tracked ports, while Los Angeles has nearly doubled to 4.9 days.