Uncertainty surrounding tariffs and new potential penalties on Chinese-built ships have U.S. retailers looking to continue bringing in as much merchandise into the country as quickly as possible. 

According to data from the Global Port Tracker released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, U.S. ports handled just over 2.2 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in January, marking an increase of 4.4% from December, and 13.4% year-over-year. The tracker projects TEUs at U.S. ports to increase by another 6.1% year-over-year once February's numbers are reported, which would be the busiest that month has been in three years, with similar bumps forecast for March, April and May.

"New tariffs on goods from China that have already doubled from 10% to 20% are a concern, as well as uncertainty over ‘reciprocal’ tariffs that could start in April," said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "Retailers have been working on supply chain diversification, but that doesn’t happen overnight."

Tariffs aren't the only concern for retailers when it comes to mitigating added costs in the months to come, with the Trump administration weighing a new port entry fee of up to $1.5 million for any ship built in China owned by a non-Chinese company, as part of a larger push to jumpstart the U.S. shipbuilding industry. 

"This means that there will be further costs that will be passed on to cargo owners and ultimately the consumer,” said Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett, who predicts that carriers would likely consolidate calls with larger vessels at major ports instead of making multiple stops at smaller shipping hubs.

U.S. agriculture shippers have also voiced concerns over the proposed port entry fees, with Agriculture Transportation Coalition executive director Peter Friedman warning that they could make the country's ag exports "unaffordable and noncompetitive in global markets."