U.S. Container Imports Hit 2026 High in September as Extended Peak Season Winds Down

U.S. container imports reached their highest level of the year in September, capping an unusually long peak shipping season that has kept major ports busy since the spring despite tariffs, inflation and growing pressure on supply chains.

Ports covered by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker handled 2.37 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of loaded imports in September, up 12.6% from a year earlier and 3.4% from August.

The total made September the third-busiest month since Global Port Tracker began keeping records, trailing only July 2025’s 2.39 million TEUs and May 2022’s 2.4 million TEUs.

The