After experiencing one of the lowest import shipments assorted since the start of the outbreak, import shipments at major U.S. container ports are expected to climb slowly, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The goods and services trade deficit widened 9.4% to $89.7 billion in January, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.Trade imports rose 1.2% to a record $314.1 billion in January, while trade exports fell 1.7% to $224.4 billion. The merchandise trade deficit widened to a record high of $108.9 billion for the month. The services trade surplus shrank to $19.2 billion. Adjusted for inflation, the merchandise trade deficit widened to $118.1 billion in January from $111.7 billion in December.

Imports at the 10 largest U.S. container ports fell 17.9 percent in January, experiencing the largest one-month decline since the 2008 global financial crisis assorted with the U.S. West ports posting the largest declines. In addition, because of the month is expected to "cargo volume will also fall sharply," the United States container port is preparing for the first six months of the difficult period, is expected to recover in the second half of this year.

While final data for February's assortment is not yet available, the global port tracker expects an "unusually sharp" decline to 1.56 million TEUs, down 26.2 percent from a year ago and 13.6 percent from January's level. That would make February the slowest month since May 2020, when many factories in Asia and U.S. stores were closed due to the outbreak. However, it's worth noting that February is usually a slow month of the year to assemble due to the Lunar New Year factory shutdown in Asia and the quiet between the holidays and spring shopping for retailers.

Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, said: "Retailers are maintaining reduced inventories with a view to rebuilding with new seasonal stock once they have a clearer idea of the expected level of consumer spending. While imports remain low, a tight labor market and strong wages are helping consumers absorb the effects of inflation and continue to spend."

Starting this month, imports are expected to climb slowly through midsummer, but will remain well below last year's high levels.

March is expected to reach 1.74 million TEUs, down 25.9 percent from a year ago, and April is expected to reach 1.87 million TEUs, down 17.2 percent from a year ago.May is expected to reach 1.92 million TEUs, down 19.7 percent from a year ago.June is expected to reach 2.0 million TEUs, with imports expected to pass the 2.0 million TEU mark for the first time since October, but still down 11.5 percent from June of last year July is expected to reach 2.13 million TEUs, down 2.5% from the previous year

"There is a lot of uncertainty in the economy, but we expect moderate growth in imports in the coming months," said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at NRF. "The growth is a positive sign, but levels are still well below normal and retailers will remain cautious as they try to align inventories with consumer demand."

It is expected to reach 10.9 million TEUs in the first half of 2023, down 19.5 percent from the first half of 2022.Imported cargoes totaled 25.5 million TEUs in 2022, down 1.2 percent from the annual record of 25.8 million TEUs set in 2021.

Freight platform Freightos analyzes that total U.S. import containers have begun to decrease since June 2022, with monthly shipments until May 2023 forecast to be above 2019 levels. This suggests that the lower demand for ocean freight is due to the fact that one is starting to normalize after the sustained growth of the previous years.

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