Businesses and ports brace for headwinds amid the possibility of another trade war

12 February 2026 ImportGenius 

On January 13, United States President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Iran’s trading partners, an effort to further isolate that country amid widespread street protests. If that tariff is stacked atop existing ones for Iran’s largest trading partners, China and India, it would bring their respective tariff rates to 55% and 75%, respectively.

Five days later the President announced an additional 10% tariff on eight European countries as part of his campaign to secure ownership of Greenland. While those tariffs were quickly called off, the announcement led observers to label them Trade War 3.0, following previous trade wars in 2018 (1.0) and 2025 (2.0).

While no single policy package has yet reached the scale of the previous trade wars, the speed, unpredictability, and cumulative impact of recent announcements are already reshaping trade behaviour.

12 top seaports saw volumes shrink in rollercoaster year

Data for America’s top 25 marine ports, analysed by ImportGenius, show that despite last year’s trade war, total TEU volumes in 2025 were 27.76 million, a number that’s exactly on par with 2024.

The data also shows that the trade war hit some ports harder than others, with 12 of the country’s top 25 ports experiencing declines in volume. For 4 of them (Wilmington NC, Mobile AL, and Seattle and Tacoma, WA) the decline was in double digits.

There are lots of nuances in the data. For instance, while the Port of Los Angeles, the second largest in the country, experienced a decline of only 1.29%, that represents 85,081 fewer TEUs arriving last year, a substantial drop. Baltimore’s increase, meanwhile, reflects its recovery from an 11-week closure in 2024 due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

The net result: overall U.S. import volumes held steady, but volatility intensified beneath the surface, creating clear winners and losers among individual ports.

View Full Report Here

How we can help:

1. Submit your requirement - A member of the team will reach out within 24 hours.

2. Book a call with the team - Explore which of our 200+ data and analytics solutions align with your needs.

Click here to subscribe on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/exwPBCNG