Against the backdrop of US import tariffs affecting most of the trading partners of the world's largest economy, the US Trade Representative imposing fees on Chinese-built and operated vessels calling at US ports, and the uncertainty of the US trade outlook due to the unpredictability of the US government, the World Shipping Council (WSC) released a report. Emphasize the positive impact of container transportation on the US economy.

This economic impact analysis was independently conducted by Standard & Poor's Global Market Intelligence on behalf of the Washington Container Shipping Trade Association (WSC).

Just 10 days before the release of this report, the WSC warned that the proposal put forward by the Office of the United States Trade Representative to impose port charges on Chinese vessels would backfire and potentially harm the interests of American businesses and consumers, "and would not make meaningful progress in revitalizing the American shipping industry."

S&p quantified the impact of liner shipping on the US economy, stating that the industry transported 1.5 trillion US dollars for US trade, including 355 billion US dollars in exports and 1.1 trillion US dollars in imports. The report states that direct port activities and their related subsequent economic activities have supported more than 630,000 jobs and 117.3 billion US dollars of the US GDP.

The data in this report is based on the latest full-year data available: 2023. The data for 2025 May be quite different; Linerlytica's weekly report on April 16th pointed out that in the next three weeks, orders from China in the Pacific region will decline by 30% to 60%, and orders from other parts of Asia will drop by 10% to 20%. The decline in freight volume was caused by the 145% import tariff imposed on Chinese goods. The US President said that tariffs would be reduced, but did not specify when they would be reduced or to what extent.

The remainder of Trump's first round of "reciprocal" import tariffs (currently suspended until July 9) was calculated based on the trade balance between the United States and its trading partners. The report indicates that $490.1 billion (44%) of imported goods are "components and other inputs used by US companies to manufacture and deliver their products and services", which alleviates the pain of the obvious imbalance in container imports and exports.

WSC said, "On average, every $1 million in import input can support 11 American jobs and generate $2.1 million in GDP, highlighting its crucial role in domestic manufacturing and economic growth."

The report states that liner shipping accounts for 64.4% of the United States' maritime trade, equivalent to 30% of the total trade volume of all transportation modes in the United States.

S&p Global has found that liner shipping provides 6.4 million jobs in the United States, equivalent to 442.5 billion US dollars in wages and salaries. "These jobs cover a wide range of areas from dockworkers to factories in the United States," WSC said.

The economic impact analysis is divided into port operations and the use of container imports in the US industry, respectively detailing the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts, and tracking the impacts from direct sales activities to the re-expenditure of workers' wages in the economy directly and indirectly.