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Charted: The Slump in U.S. Shipping Exports
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Trump’s reciprocal tariffs had a near-instant impact on U.S. trade, with worldwide ocean carrier exports from the U.S. falling sharply after the announcement.
This infographic shows the decline in U.S. shipping exports from January to April 2025, expressed in the number of twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs). The data is from Panjiva (via CNBC).
How Trump’s Tariffs Affected U.S. Shipping Exports
Following the introduction of reciprocal tariffs in early April, total U.S. exports via ocean carriers fell sharply to just 57,300 TEUs in April—a 78% drop from the previous month.
The table below breaks down the monthly TEU volumes for U.S. ocean carrier exports in 2025:
| Month | U.S. TEUs Exported | % Change Over Previous Month |
|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 202.9K | - |
| February 2025 | 219.5K | 8% |
| March 2025 | 265.5K | 21% |
| April 2025 | 57.3K | -78% |
Total ocean carrier exports from the U.S. increased steadily at the beginning of the year, with a stronger 21% month-on-month increase in March, likely due to businesses front-running exports in anticipation of the tariffs.
The April slump was particularly acute for U.S.-China trade, with container exports to China falling by 77% from March to April 2025.
The decline in container exports is also partly due to fewer containerships and materials coming in from China, as U.S. businesses cancelled manufacturing orders after the tariff announcement.
U.S. Ports Feel the Pinch
As export volumes fell in April, several major ports saw sharp declines in business.
Here’s a look at the change in the number of TEUs booked at 10 different U.S. ports over between February and May:
| Port | Feb 23-Mar 2 TEUs booked | Mar 30-May 3 TEUs booked | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 146.1K | 142.0K | -2.8% |
| Savannah | 147.3K | 127.7K | -13.3% |
| N.Y./N.J. | 128.0K | 124.7K | -2.6% |
| Los Angeles | 127.2K | 105.2K | -17.3% |
| Norfolk | 95.1K | 83.4K | -12.3% |
| Oakland | 57.6K | 56.0K | -2.8% |
| Charleston | 50.2K | 47.2K | -5.8% |
| Long Beach (Calif.) | 45.2K | 45.6K | 0.9% |
| Seattle | 27.9K | 26.9K | -3.5% |
| New Orleans | 31.6K | 24.1K | -23.8% |
Container exports from the Port of New Orleans fell by nearly 24%, followed by the Los Angeles port, which saw a 17% decline. On the East Coast, the port of New York and New Jersey saw a 13% decline in volume.
However, with the U.S. and China having rolled back the tariffs in the latest breakthrough on May 12, U.S. shipping exports are likely to pick up steam again.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To see how important exports are for different U.S. state economies, check out U.S. State Export Dependency on the Voronoi app.