US container imports may have peaked in July, chief of busiest seaport says

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Ocean imports to the United States may have peaked in July after retailers raced to bring in goods from China and elsewhere to avoid potentially hefty tariffs on holiday-related products, the top executive from the busiest U.S. seaport said on Wednesday.

Containerized imports to the Port of Los Angeles, the front door to many U.S. imports, jumped 8% to 544,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July.

“Much of this volume was fueled by importers hustling to bring in cargo ahead of potential tariff hikes later this month and beyond,” Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director, said on Wednesday.

“Everything is already here for the holiday season,” said Zachary Rogers, lead author of the Logistics Managers’ Index, which serves as an early indicator