Donald Trump has enacted a new round of double-digit tariffs targeting 60 trading partners, arriving just as an unusually early US container peak season begins to wind down.

The duties, enacted under Section 301 of the Trade Act, replace temporary worldwide tariffs that lapsed on Friday. Imports originating from 18 economies — including the UK, India, Canada, and Mexico — are now subject to a 10% levy, while most other targeted nations face a rate of 12.5%. Distinct tariff calculations apply to certain goods from the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Switzerland.

The administration stated that the affected countries had not implemented or enforced sufficient bans on goods produced using forced labour.

"It's well past time for our trading partners to do the same," said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, characterizing forced labour as both a human rights violation and a trade distortion.

The timing carries significant implications for the container shipping sector. Throughout May, June, and July, US importers aggressively front-loaded cargo to stay ahead of potential tariff hikes, resulting in an early and compressed peak shipping season. For retailers and manufacturers, that pull-forward can reduce near-term shipping needs once warehouses are stocked, while also complicating landed-cost planning as tariff rates change by origin and product category.

The National Retail Federation projects that imports through major US ports will hit a record 2.47m teu in July before declining to 2.22m teu in August and dipping below 2m teu across September, October, and November. In container shipping, teu refers to twenty-foot equivalent units, the standard measure of container volume, while feu refers to forty-foot equivalent units commonly used in freight-rate benchmarks.

Freight markets are already exhibiting signs of a downturn. Drewry's World Container Index slipped 4% this week to $4,374 per feu, marking its second straight weekly drop. Spot rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles declined 6% to $5,878, while Shanghai–New York rates fell 4% to $7,598, driven by easing demand and added carrier capacity.

Since the new duties largely supersede an existing 10% tariff, analysts suggest they are unlikely to spark another front-loading surge comparable to what was observed earlier this summer. Rather, the more immediate concern for carriers is that bloated inventories combined with softer post-peak bookings could hasten the slide in transpacific spot rates, a key earnings driver for liners when contract coverage is supplemented by higher-priced spot cargo.

Carriers are expected to counter with blank sailings and tighter capacity management. Drewry recorded six scheduled transpacific cancellations for next week, though that figure is lower than this week's count, indicating that more tonnage is gradually re-entering the market. The scale and timing of further blank sailings will be closely watched because capacity discipline often determines how quickly rate pressure feeds through the eastbound Pacific trade.

Hormuz-related fuel surcharges, ongoing port disruptions, and the prospect of additional US tariffs may keep transport costs elevated above typical levels — leaving liner shipping firmly on course for what remains a highly profitable year.