U.s. Worldwide Shipping Container Exports By Ocean Carrier Fell 78.4% In April Compared To March

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/06/trump-tariffs-hit-us-exports-import-covid-level-event.html

The Port of Portland, Oregon, tops the list with a 51% decrease in exports, while the Port of Tacoma, Washington, a large agricultural export port, has seen a 28% decrease. Tacoma’s top destinations for corn, soybeans and other ag exports include Japan, China and South Korea.

The trade data shows declines of more than 17% at the Port of Los Angeles, while the Port of Savannah, Georgia — the top U.S. port for exporting containerized agricultural goods in 2025 — is down 13%, and the Port of Norfolk, Virginia, is down 12%, according to Vizion.

The Port of Oakland, California, also plays a significant role in exports as the leading port for international refrigerated goods. U.S. agricultural exports also leave Los Angeles, Long Beach, California, New York/New Jersey, Houston and Seattle/Tacoma.

The slide in exports is linked to the decline in containerships coming to the U.S., as businesses across the economy cancel manufacturing orders, sending Chinese factories and freight ships into retreat, as well as changes in global demand linked to U.S. trade policy. U.S. imports continue to decline, with port data tracked by Vizion showing a 43% week-over-week drop in containers from the week of April 21 to the week of April 28.

“We haven’t seen anything like this since the disruptions of summer 2020,” said Kyle Henderson, CEO of Vizion. “That means goods expected to arrive in the next six to eight weeks simply won’t. With tariffs driving costs higher, small businesses are pausing orders. Products that once moved reliably are now twice as expensive, forcing importers into tough decisions,” he said.

This is an excerpt from this CNBC article

It seems like most people have been focusing on the precipitous decline of imports, but exports are falling off a cliff too

Here are the export TEU numbers for 2025 so far per data from Panjiva in this article:

• January: 202,900 TEUs
• February: 219,500 TEUs
• March: 265,500 TEUs
• April: 57,300 TEUs (!!!)

Note: Includes American President, Cma Cgm, Cosco, Evergreen, Grimaldi, Hyundai, Hapag Lloyd, Independent Container, Maersk, Msc Meditterranean, Ocean Network Express, Orient Overseas Container, Sm Line, Seaboard Marine, Yang Ming and Zim

Do we think this tariff situation is going to be resolved soon? I feel like we're going to pass the critical time window soon where we won't be able to remedy this situation