Q1 2026 Report: North American East Coast Ports Gain Market Share Despite Throughput Decline

Port of New York and New Jersey (NY/NJ)

In Issue 767 of its Sunday Spotlight newsletter, Sea-Intelligence released its latest analysis of container throughput performance across the North American East Coast (NAEC) port range during Q1 2026.

Expanding Market Share Through Competitive Gains Against the West Coast

Across the region as a whole, growth momentum at NAEC ports showed signs of slowing. Total container throughput declined by 2.5% year-on-year (Y/Y) in the first quarter of 2026, while laden import volumes fell by 1.4%.

Despite the overall downturn, NAEC ports continued to increase their share of U.S. import container traffic relative to the West Coast.

Data shows that the NAEC's share of laden import volumes rose from 46.0% in Q1 2025 to 46.8% in Q1 2026.

This gain was primarily driven by a steeper decline at U.S. West Coast ports, where import volumes fell by 3.9% year-on-year.

Growing Performance Divergence Among Ports

Source: Sea Intelligence

A closer examination of the data reveals significant differences in performance across individual ports. Ports along the Gulf Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic region generally maintained growth or experienced only modest declines. In contrast, several ports in the South Atlantic and Florida regions recorded double-digit decreases in throughput.

Some of the most notable developments include:

Port of Houston

Houston delivered the strongest performance in the region, recording the highest throughput growth among all major ports.

Total throughput increased by 1.8% year-on-year, while import volumes rose by 4.3%.

Port of New York and New Jersey (NY/NJ)

As the largest container port on the East Coast, NY/NJ maintained relatively stable performance, with total throughput declining by only 1.1%.

A 3.9% increase in export volumes helped offset a 1.6% decline in imports.

Port of Jacksonville

Jacksonville recorded a 4.9% year-on-year decrease in total container throughput.

Port of Charleston

Charleston experienced a significant downturn, with total throughput falling by 11.9%, largely driven by an 11.3% decline in import volumes.

Port Everglades

Port Everglades recorded the sharpest decline among North American East Coast ports during the first quarter of 2026.

Total container throughput decreased by 12.3%, while import volumes plunged by 21.9% compared with the same period last year.

See more:

• Container Freight Rates on Asia–U.S. Trades Surge as Importers Rush Shipments Ahead of New Tariff Measures
• Hapag-Lloyd Discontinues CCM Service Connecting Mexico and Central America from July 2026
• COSCO Orders Four LNG Carriers Worth USD 953 Million to Expand LNG Fleet
• Dry Bulk Shipping Market: Capesize Leads the Rally
• International Shipping and Logistics Market Update Week 22/2026 | Phaata
• Global Container Shipping Schedule Reliability Reaches Highest Level of 2026 So Far
• Global Container Freight Rates Face Renewed Upward Pressure
• WorldACD Report: Global Air Cargo Volumes and Rates Slowly Establish a New Equilibrium
• Sea-Intelligence Q1 2026 Report: Ocean Carriers' Operating Profits Decline Sharply Under Freight Rate Pressure
• COSCO SHIPPING North America Named AgTC’s 2026 Recognized Ocean Carrier
• COSCO schedules: Vietnam - North America in Jun 2026
• COSCO updates Vietnam-Intra Asia sailing schedules in Jun 2026
• COSCO updates Vietnam-North Europe sailing schedules in Jun 2026
• SITC updates Vietnam-Intra Asia sailing schedules in Jun 2026

Source: Phaata.com (According to Sea Intelligence)

► Find Better Freight Rates & Logistics Service Providers!