‘Tariff shockwave’ leads to collapse in ocean container bookings

Apr 21, 2025 at 04:20 PM CST
After a strong start to the year which built upon a recovery that began in 2023, booking volumes for U.S. containerized imports dropped 20% from their January peaks, despite still being 30% higher year over year compared to 2024. This abrupt change appears to be directly linked to anticipation of tariff increases, said container data analyst Vizion. Shippers, reacting to rumors and speculation, rapidly frontloaded shipments to beat potential cost hikes. However, as tariff-related uncertainty intensified, the impact on trade volumes became even more pronounced. From March 24-31 to April 1-8, the logistics industry witnessed precipitous declines across multiple sectors, what Vizion termed a “tariff shockwave”:

Apr 21, 2025 at 04:20 PM CST

After a strong start to the year which built upon a recovery that began in 2023, booking volumes for U.S. containerized imports dropped 20% from their January peaks, despite still being 30% higher year over year compared to 2024.

This abrupt change appears to be directly linked to anticipation of tariff increases, said container data analyst Vizion. Shippers, reacting to rumors and speculation, rapidly frontloaded shipments to beat potential cost hikes. However, as tariff-related uncertainty intensified, the impact on trade volumes became even more pronounced.

From March 24-31 to April 1-8, the logistics industry witnessed precipitous declines across multiple sectors, what Vizion termed a “tariff shockwave”: