Supply Lines

Number of US-Bound Container Ships Rises on Pacific Horizon

Seagulls in front of idle gantry cranes at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, US, on Monday, May 12, 2025. Recent data showed a slump in trade across the Pacific Ocean, fueling worries that Trump's broad tariff agenda could hit American consumers with higher prices and fewer choices and spur a global downturn.Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg

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By Laura Curtis

June 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The busiest US maritime complex looks to get an increase in container cargo in the next couple weeks as businesses race to stockpile ahead of global tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened to increase. But whether it’ll be an import wave or merely a ripple is unclear.

On Saturday, 68 container ships were recorded to be on the way to the neighboring ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. That’s the most since January, when importers were initially scrambling to beat the incoming president’s promised levies.