12,000 Tariff-Hit Shipping Containers Flood US Ports—First Wave of 145%+ Duty Pain

Trade walls get real as the largest cargo surge since the tariff hikes docks—just as logistics algorithms predicted (and Wall Street conveniently ignored).

Customs officials brace for chaos while importers scramble to offload goods before the next rate spike. Meanwhile, corporate treasury teams suddenly remember what ’supply chain risk’ means.

Bonus cynicism: Somewhere in Greenwich, a hedge fund is shorting container stocks while lobbying for more protectionism.

The consumer products in the shipping containers

Trump said on Friday, before important trade talks, that he was ready to lower taxes on China to 80%. TRUMP wrote on Truth Social, “80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.”

He was referring to the meeting this weekend in Switzerland that was set up between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and someone from China. However,  80% is still a rate that many businesses WOULD probably consider to be very high, but it is better than 145% tariffs

145% tariffs will still hit many consumer products. Amazon brought in a lot of different goods for sellers, like freezers, deep fryers, mouse pads, bookshelves, living room sofas, housewares, clothing, and furniture.

Tractor Supply ships portable drum fans, yard tools, and men’s work boots. In addition, Home Depot has been able to get lamps and ceiling fans through customs. There is also furniture from Ikea, swim caps and goggles from Speedo, tissue boxes from Procter & Gamble, printed circuit boards from Samsung, microwaves, and parts for refrigerators.

In response, Amazon said in an email that it is working with its “broad, varied range of valued selling partners in their store to support them in adapting to the evolving environment. It maintains a broad selection and low prices for customers.

On the other hand, Home Depot is taking it easy before releasing its quarterly results. A Home Depot spokesperson said, “We, together with our vendors, are monitoring developments and will work closely to manage with the goal of being our customers’ advocate for value.”

The number of freight ships and shipping containers coming from China to the US has dropped

Since the tariffs were announced in early April, the number of freight ships and shipping containers coming from China to the US has dropped by a huge amount.

For the months of April and May, Sea Intelligence found that there were 90 empty sailings on the trade paths between Asia and North America on both the East Coast and West Coast. 

Forty-eight of those scrapped trips were run by the Ocean Alliance, a group of freight ships that includes Chinese-owned and -operated COSCO and OOCL, Taiwanese-owned Evergreen, and French-owned CMA.

Logistics companies and ocean carriers say bookings are down anywhere from 30% to 50%.

Ocean carriers are using smaller ships to MOVE trade because companies have stopped ordering goods to be manufactured, and there are fewer containers to fill. Two freight companies that use smaller ships between Asia and the West Coast of North America are MSC, the world’s biggest ocean carrier, and the Gemini Alliance.

Also, Intelligence data that looks at the effects of delayed sailings and vessel changes shows that MSC’s container capacity has dropped by 28% year-over-year. Ocean Alliance’s container capacity has also dropped by 26% year-over-year.

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