U.S.-bound imports slide in November as seasonal slowdowns and tariff uncertainty weigh on volumes

The December edition of the Global Shipping Report, which was recently issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, pointed to sequential and annual declines, for United States-bound imports in November.

This the 51st edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.  

November U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,183,048 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 5.4% compared to October and saw a 7.5% annual decline. Despite the annual decline, Descartes noted that this tally represented the fourth-strongest November on record, behind 2020, 2021, and 2024, which it said “[underscores] the underlying resilience of U.S. import demand despite policy and economic uncertainty.”

What’s more, it added that November volumes are in line with the typical month-over-month seasonal drop, November’s shorter month and Thanksgiving-related slowdowns.

Through the first 11 months of 2025, the report said that U.S.-bound imports are essentially flat, up 0.1% annually, and well below the 10% annual gain seen in January, with the report explaining that this divergence highlights the effects of what it called suspected early-year frontloading, a cooling economic backdrop, and softer consumer demand that have gradually pulled 2025 volumes closer in line with 2024.

“Beyond seasonal factors, November’s decline in U.S. container import volumes may also reflect ongoing importer caution amid a dynamic tariff backdrop,” said Jackson Wood, Director of Industry Strategy at Descartes. “While agreements between the U.S. and China have eased short-term pressure, longer-term uncertainty in the trade relationship persists. The legal challenge to IEEPA tariffs, ongoing geopolitical volatility and continued carrier caution in the Red Sea corridor are additional factors contributing to a cautious outlook for U.S. importers as the year draws to a close.”

U.S.-bound imports from China, at 713,131 TEU, were off 11.3%, from October to November, 19.7% annually, and off 30.3% compared to the all-time July 2024 record, at 1,022,913 TEU, with China’s share of total U.S. imports falling to 32.7%, down from October’s to 34.9%, reading.

U.S.-bound imports, for the top 10 countries of origin, were down 9.3%, from October to November, or a cumulative 156,831 TEU, with China alone down 174,650 TEU, or 19.7%. Other nations seeing significant included: India (-18.9%), South Korea (-16.3%), Japan (-8.9%), and Germany (-5.2%), among others.

Other key findings in the report included:

• Container volumes at the top 10 U.S. ports were down 5.4%, or 106,401 TEU, from October to November, with the Port of Long Beach down 9.6%, the Port of New York/Newark down 4.4%, and the ports of Long Beach, Savannah, and Houston down 7.9%, 0.4%, and 10.0%, respectively, (Descartes said these results reflect the typical seasonal showdown, with reduced inbound volumes in line with the declines normally observed at this time of year); and
• East and Gulf Coast ports market share came in at 41.1% of total U.S. containerized imports, October to November, up from October’s 40.7%, with West Coast ports at 42.6%, down from October’s 44.4%, and East and Gulf Coast ports at 41.1%, up from October’s 40.7%, and the top 10 ports handling 83.8% of total U.S. containerized imports, down from October’s 84.9%