According to the Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, US major container ports are anticipated to experience another busy month in September, with a potential labour strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports looming.
In July, the US ports tracked by Global Port Tracker handled 2.32 million TEUs, marking an 8.1% increase from June and a 21% rise from the previous year, making it the busiest July on record.
For August, Global Port Tracker forecasts 2.37 million TEUs, which represents a 20.9% increase year-over-year and the highest level since the 2.4 million TEUs recorded in May 2022.
Furthermore, September’s forecast is 2.31 million TEUs, up 14% from the previous year; October is projected at 2.08 million TEUs, up 1.3%; November at 1.92 million TEUs, up 1.6%; and December at 1.89 million TEUs, up 0.9%. This would bring the total for 2024 to 24.98 million TEUs, a 12.3% increase from 2023.
Also, the first half of 2024 saw 12.1 million TEUs, a 14.8% rise over the same period in 2023. January 2025 is anticipated to see 1.96 million TEUs, a slight 0.3% decrease year-over-year.
The import figures align with NRF’s forecast that core retail sales—excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants—will grow between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2024 compared to 2023.
