Descartes Systems Group, a global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, released its March Global Shipping Report on March 10, 2025, indicating that U.S. container imports in February 2025 totaled 2,238,942 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 10% decline from January but a 4.7% increase compared to February 2024.
The month-over-month decrease aligns with a seasonal decline of 248,528 TEUs, consistent with an average drop of 251,266 TEUs from 2020 to 2024, influenced by February being three business days shorter and the Chinese Lunar New Year extending to February 12.
Imports from China fell 12.5% from January to February, contributing to declines at West Coast ports, though they rose 7.9% year-over-year from February 2024, with overall U.S. imports for the first two months of 2025 up 7.2% over 2024.
Jackson Wood, Director, Industry Strategy at Descartes, said, “Despite an expected seasonal decline in volumes, a shorter month for sailings and a Chinese Lunar New Year that extended through to February 12, overall U.S. container imports performed well in February. Global trade conditions are clearly becoming more challenging with new and potential U.S. tariff changes amid escalating trade tensions with multiple countries.”
The report, the forty-third since August 2021, underscores growing complexity in the trade landscape due to tariff policies and geopolitical instability.
Descartes Systems Group is a Canadian technology company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Descartes provides logistics and supply chain management software, serving over 22,000 customers globally since its founding in 1981.