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Nov 12, 2025 - Tariffs on Cargo Equipment Slowing US Port Modernization

• US ports are urging the federal government to roll back steep tariffs on imported cargo-handling equipment, warning that the measures are delaying critical upgrades and threatening long-term growth. The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) said the tariffs (currently 100% on certain types of equipment, with proposals to raise them to 150%) are increasing project costs and slowing modernization efforts. Items such as ship-to-shore cranes, reach-stackers, and terminal tractors are essential to ports, yet much of this equipment is not manufactured domestically. As a result, ports have little choice but to import from foreign suppliers, primarily in Asia. Industry leaders argue that these tariffs undermine US competitiveness by stalling infrastructure projects at a time when global trade and cargo volumes are expanding. While the AAPA supports domestic manufacturing growth, it says that punitive tariffs without parallel incentives, such as tax credits or infrastructure investment, will ultimately weaken America’s supply chain.
• Tumbling ocean shipping rates from China to the US indicate the peak shipping season of 2025 was shorter than usual and retailers and manufacturers are wary of placing new orders because of tariffs. The rate slide in July of 68% from the previous month comes just before the fall and winter shopping season, one of the busiest shipping times of the year. The tariff situation is making it difficult for shipping companies to properly plan ahead, with importers either reducing current inventory or leaning heavily on the stockpiled goods they bought when the tariffs were announced in April. The average shipping rate from China to the West Coast in early September was $1,802, down from the year’s high of $5,553 in June. The forecast for the rest of the year from the National Retail Federation predicts monthly year-over-year declines of anywhere from 19% to 21%.

• Imports to the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest US port, rebounded in June as retailers stocked up on holiday inventory in an effort to get ahead of potentially steeper tariffs later in the year. Incoming cargo to the port jumped 10% from the previous year after the US came to terms with China. It was also a 32% increase from May when imports cratered after a brief 145% import tax on Chinese goods. Shipping experts say the situation is likely as good as it will get this year since holiday orders have already been placed and manufactured and can’t be altered this late in the year. The National Retail Federation expects double-digit import declines from August through November due to additional potential tariff increases and order timing. The Trump administration plans to tariff Mexico and the EU by 30% starting August 1, sending the industry back into a scramble.
• An analysis of US ports by World Bank Group and S&P Global found only eight US ports rank in the top 100 of the world’s most efficient water entryways. The port of Charleston, South Carolina was the country’s most efficient, but still ranked at a somewhat lowly 52nd place. US port inefficiency is caused by a lack of automation in data systems and cargo equipment, resulting in longer wait times to process imports and exports. On an efficiency scale of 1 to 10, US ports scored an average of 3.7, while other nations averaged 7.9. Automation is critical to modern port operations, but such upgrades may not occur soon. The US averted a strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association in 2024 that would have crippled East Coast and Gulf ports by raising pay almost 60%, but the issue of automation was kicked down the road into 2025.