July 2026 Container Traffic at North American Ports
Pacific Merchant Shipping Association monitors container traffic through 25 North American seaports, twenty in the United States, two in Mexico, and three in Canada. The TEU tallies cited here are the actual statistics released by the ports themselves, not before the fact estimates based on proprietary models. These results do not include container ports like the Ports of Mobile, Wilmington (NC), and Wilmington (DE), which do not make their TEU numbers public.
July 2026 Snapshot
| Port | Loaded Inbound | Loaded Outbound | Total July TEUs | Total TEUs YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Los Angeles | 499,552 | 111,776 | 960,464 | 6,083,067 |
| Port of Long Beach | 467,461 | 104,843 | 928,508 | 5,758,086 |
| Port of Oakland | 76,426 | 60,005 | 179,999 | 1,294,665 |
| Northwest Seaport Alliance | 86,371 | 44,226 | 172,275 | 1,672,744 |
| Port of San Diego | 6,002 | 286 | 11,756 | 89,957 |
| Port of Philadelphia | 40,919 | 9,077 | 81,032 | 515,895 |
| Port of Norfolk | 137,628 | 84,358 | 273,006 | 1,909,595 |
| Port of Savannah | 251,888 | 114,959 | 503,739 | 3,341,073 |
| Port Houston | 181,808 | 124,814 | 369,899 | 2,599,373 |
| Port of Vancouver | 190,148 | 67,500 | 358,576 | 2,260,167 |
| Port of Prince Rupert | 37,484 | 11,491 | 74,905 | 500,405 |
Analysts’ Forecasts for July TEU Tallies
On August 7, the National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker issued its estimate that the thirteen U.S. ports it monitors would handle 2.21 million import TEUs in the month of July. That would represent a year-over-year decrease of 7.6%. Just a month ago, in its July 8 forecast, the Global Port Tracker had expected July to see the arrival of 2.47 million TEUs, which it calculated would represent not only a 3.3% y/y increase but also “would top the previous monthly record of 2.4 million set in May 2022”. Meanwhile, the Descartes Systems Group estimated that 2.51 million TEUs arrived at all U.S. ports in July, a 4.3% decline from the 2.62 million that were discharged in a very busy July 2025, according to Descartes’ calculation.
What the Ports Are Reporting for July
The nation’s busiest maritime gateway for containerized trade, the Port of Los Angeles, discharged 499,552 laden TEUs in July, an 8.1% fall-off from a year earlier and only 4.9% above the volume handled in pre-pandemic 2019. Outbound loads similarly declined year-over-year by 8.0% to 111,776 TEUs, which was down 30.7% from July 2019. Total container traffic YTD amounted to 6,083,067 TEUs, an 11.6% gain over the first seven months of pre-pandemic 2019.
The Port of Long Beach handled 467,461 inbound laden TEUs in July, a slight 0.1% slip from a year earlier but a 49.2% gain over July 2019. Outbound loads jumped year-over-year by 14.8% to 104,843 loaded TEUs, a level that was 6.1% short of the volume handled in July 2019. Total container traffic YTD through the Southern California gateway amounted to 5,758,086 loaded and empty TEUs, a 56.2% bump over the volume handled in the first seven months of pre-pandemic 2019.
Northern California’s Port of Oakland handled 79,426 inbound loaded TEUs in July, a 14.0% fall-off from a year earlier and 12.3% below the volume handled in July 2019. Outbound loads of 60,005 TEUs in July were down 8.5% from a year earlier and down 21.5% from July 2019. Total container traffic YTD through the San Francisco Bay gateway amounted to 1,294,665 laden and empty TEUs, down 12.1% from the volume handled in the first seven months of 2019.
The Ports of Tacoma and Seattle (Northwest Seaport Alliance) handled 86,371 laden import TEUs in July, down 11.6% from a relatively brisk July of 2025 and down 29,7% from July 2019. Export loads from the Washington State ports were off by 0.2% from a year earlier, while down by 40.1% from July 2019. Total container traffic through the two ports so far this year amounted to 1,672,744 loads and empties, down 25.4% from the first seven months of 2019.
Across the border in British Columbia, the Port of Vancouver discharged 190,148 inbound laden TEUs in July, a 9.6% year-over-year gain as well as a 16.7% improvement over July 2019. The 67,500 outbound loads shipped this July was up 10.8% from a year earlier but remained down by 26.2% from July 2019, Total box trade through the port so far this year amounted to 2,260,167 laden and empty TEUs, up 13.2% from the same period in 2019.
The Port of Prince Rupert handled 37,484 loaded inbound TEUs this July, down 8.0% from a year earlier and down 43.4% from July 2019. Outbound laden TEUs in July increased year-over-year by 14.1% but remained 25.4% below the volume recorded in July 2019. Total container traffic through the Canada’s third busiest seaport through July amounted to 500,405 TEUs, 24.1% below the volume handled in the same period in 2019.
The Port of Philadelphia (“Philaport”) reported 40,919 inbound laden TEUs in July, a 10.5% bump from the volume discharged a year earlier and a 67.1% bump over July 2019. The 9,077 outbound loads shipped from the port in July represented a 7.8% year-over-year gain as well as a 30.8% improvement over July 2019. Total container traffic through the port YTD amounted to 518,895 loads and empties for a 46.7% increase over the same months in 2019.
Virginia’s Port of Norfolk discharged 137,628 laden TEUs in July, a 7.0% gain from a year earlier and a 9.9% increase over July 2019. Outbound loaded boxes in July equaled 84,358 TEUs, a 4.0% y/y increase and a 4.2% gain over July 2019. Total container traffic through the Mid-Atlantic Coast port so far this year amounted to 1,909,595 TEUs, 11.0% higher than the volume handled in the first seven months of 2019.
Georgia’s Port of Savannah discharged 137,628 laden TEUs in July, up 7.0% from the preceding July and up 9.9% over the volume handled in July 2019. The 114,959 outbound loads shipped in July were up 7.7% a year earlier but down 2.4% from July 2019. Total container traffic YTD amounted to 3,341,073 TEUs, up 26.6% from the same period seven years ago.
On the Gulf Coast, Port Houston handled 137,628 inbound laden TEUs in July, down 3.0% from July 2025 but up 63.7% over the volume recorded in July 2019. Outbound loads in July amounted to 124,814 TEUs, down 6.3% y/y but up 19.5% over July 2019. The 2,599,373 laden and empty TEUs handled at the Texas maritime gateway so far this year represented a 49.3% gain over the same period in 2019.