Will near-record US container import streak snap in May due to tariffs?

US container imports surged in April as companies raced to avoid President Donald Trump's tariffs, which now include a 145 per cent duty on goods from China, but executives at the country's two busiest ports said the trend looked set to reverse in May.

April container imports jumped 9.1 per cent from a year earlier to top 2.4 million TEU, the second highest on record for the month, supply chain technology provider Descartes said on Thursday.

Imports from China, the top US maritime trade partner, jumped 6.2 per cent and accounted for 33.4 per cent of all imports in April.