Descartes Releases July Report on Global Shipping Crisis: Record Container Import Volumes but Signs

ATLANTA, Georgia, July 18, 2022 -- Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq: DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, released its July report on the ongoing global shipping crisis and analysis for logistics and supply chain professionals. The report shows another record month of U.S. ocean container import volume in June 2022 versus June 2021. While volumes are lower than May 2022’s all-time record, they remain above the level that has caused port congestion and delays for the last 15 months. A number of factors such as the economy, inflation, high fuel costs and an increase in ships waiting off ports continue to make managing supply chain risk challenging.

At the halfway mark of 2022, container imports into the U.S. set another monthly record, as TEU volume was up 3% from May 2021 to 2,480,946 and up 26% from pre-pandemic June 2019. Every month in 2022 has been a record month when compared to previous years. June container import volume was down 5% versus May 2022, but in a pattern consistent with previous years other than at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“The continuation of record U.S. container imports in the first half of 2022 has not relieved the pressure on ports,” said Chris Jones, EVP Industry & Services at Descartes. “The regression of wait times at East and Gulf Coast ports and the increase in ships waiting on the water portend future congestion and supply chain disruptions.”

The July report is Descartes’ twelfth installment since beginning its analysis in August 2021. To read past reports, learn more about the key economic and logistics factors driving the global shipping crisis, and review strategies to help address it in the near-, short- and long-term, visit Descartes’ Global Shipping Crisis Resource Center.