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As May unfolds, global trade continues to face pressure from shifting tariffs, policy changes, and ongoing sourcing adjustments. With container bookings offering one of the earliest signals of supply chain activity, weekly tracking has never been more critical. Vizion’s TradeView platform captures millions of global TEU bookings daily, providing a forward-looking lens into market sentiment before vessels ever depart.

Take a look at our U.S. Export Bookings Data and Planned TEU Arrivals blog for more insights on how goods are moving in and out of the U.S.

This blog is part of our recurring Ocean Import Booking Tracker, updated weekly throughout May 2025. Each entry includes interactive charts covering:

• Total global container bookings
• U.S.-bound TEUs across all origins
• China-to-U.S. shipments

Global Bookings

This chart shows total global TEU bookings each week in 2025, highlighting both week-over-week and year-over-year changes. Use it to track overall trade activity and spot inflection points across the global market.

Notice: Update to Real-Time Data Access
To ensure responsible use of our high-quality, real-time ocean freight data, Vizion will now publish booking and trend updates with a two-week delay. If your business needs immediate visibility into booking patterns, port activity, or trade shifts, we are happy to walk you through real-time insights. Just schedule a call with our team here or below.

US Import Bookings

Here we track weekly TEU volumes for all shipments bound for the United States. A key view for understanding how US demand is shifting and which weeks see major surges or slowdowns.

Notice: Update to Real-Time Data Access
To ensure responsible use of our high-quality, real-time ocean freight data, Vizion will now publish booking and trend updates with a two-week delay. If your business needs immediate visibility into booking patterns, port activity, or trade shifts, we are happy to walk you through real-time insights. Just schedule a call with our team here or below.

China to US Bookings

A focused view on TEUs booked from China to the US, this chart reflects one of the most closely watched trade lanes, especially relevant during tariff volatility.

Notice: Update to Real-Time Data Access
To ensure responsible use of our high-quality, real-time ocean freight data, Vizion will now publish booking and trend updates with a two-week delay. If your business needs immediate visibility into booking patterns, port activity, or trade shifts, we are happy to walk you through real-time insights. Just schedule a call with our team here or below.

Key Insights – Week of May 19, 2025

Container booking activity steadied in mid-May following sharp rebounds earlier in the month. Despite some minor pullbacks, year-over-year growth turned positive across global, U.S., and China-origin volumes, an encouraging signal amid broader trade uncertainty.

1. ‍Global Bookings Reach 2025 High and Turn Positive YoY:
   Global container bookings rose 2.3% week over week to 2.22 million TEUs, marking the third straight week of gains and the highest weekly volume of the year. More notably, year-over-year growth turned positive for the first time since February, climbing 9.3%—a sign of recovering momentum after months of weak demand.
2. U.S. Imports Hold Strong Despite Slight Dip:
   U.S. import bookings dipped slightly, down 0.6% week over week to 476,681 TEUs. Still, this volume remains the second-highest total of the year and is up 17.0% from the same week in 2024, signaling resilience in U.S.-bound trade even after two weeks of sharp gains.
3. China to U.S. Bookings Cool Off but Remain Elevated:
   After surging 157.6% the previous week, bookings from China to the U.S. declined 5.3% week over week to 216,709 TEUs. Despite the slight pullback, volumes are still more than double early-May levels and up 28.4% year over year.

Key Insights – Week of May 12, 2025

Container booking activity rebounded across multiple trade lanes to start May, though year-over-year comparisons remain deeply negative, highlighting continued instability as global shippers navigate tariffs, softening demand, and shifting sourcing strategies.

1. ‍Global Bookings Rebound Sharply but Remain Subdued Year Over Year:
   Global container bookings rose 19.2% week over week to 2.17 million TEUs, the highest total since early March. However, volumes remain 2.5% below the same week in 2024, suggesting ongoing demand fragility despite strong weekly gains.‍
2. U.S. Imports Hit New High for 2025:
   U.S. import bookings surged 48.5% week over week to 479,771 TEUs, marking the highest weekly total of the year. This is the second straight week of double-digit growth and the first time in months that year-over-year growth turned positive, rising 6.7%.‍
3. China to U.S. Bookings Skyrocket:
   Bookings from China to the U.S. jumped 157.6% week over week to 228,818 TEUs, the highest volume recorded in 2025 and a sharp reversal from April’s slump. Year-over-year volume rose 14.5%, signaling that the recent tariff pause may have unleashed a wave of pent-up demand.

Key Insights – Week of May 5, 2025

Container booking activity rebounded across multiple trade lanes to start May, though year-over-year comparisons remain deeply negative, highlighting continued instability as global shippers navigate tariffs, softening demand, and shifting sourcing strategies.

1. ‍Global Bookings Surge, But YoY Gap Widens:
   Global TEU volumes jumped 29.6% week-over-week following the late-April slump. However, bookings were still down 21.2% year-over-year, one of the steepest drops of 2025 so far, revealing persistent weakness in overall demand despite short-term volatility.‍
2. U.S. Imports Recover, But Still Lag Far Behind 2024 Levels:
   U.S. import bookings climbed 40.3% WoW after collapsing the previous week, landing at 322,979 TEUs. Still, volumes are 30.3% lower than the same week last year, reflecting ongoing softness in restocking and a slow start to peak season preparation.‍
3. China to U.S. Volumes Rebound, Yet Remain Historically Low:
   Shipments from China to the U.S. jumped 70.6% WoW, the largest weekly gain of 2025 so far. But at just 88,825 TEUs, volumes remain down 61.5% YoY and nearly 42% below March levels, suggesting that sourcing diversification and geopolitical uncertainty continue to weigh heavily on the lane.

China to US Daily Bookings

The line graph below represents daily container bookings from China to the United States, along with a 7-day rolling average to account for volatility and weekday-only booking patterns. Because bookings typically don’t occur on weekends, the rolling average helps smooth out dips and better reflect overall trends on this heavily scrutinized trade lane. Hover over each data point to view both the daily booked TEU volume and the 7-day rolling average, offering an intuitive view of short-term fluctuations and broader booking trends.

Note: TEU figures reflect booked volumes and may not align with final totals, as bookings can later be canceled, declined, or rejected.

Key Insights – Daily Bookings

After a period of subdued booking activity through April and early May, daily TEU bookings surged following the announcement of a reciprocal tariff pause between the U.S. and China. Volumes jumped from 23,311 TEUs on May 9 to 48,631 TEUs by May 16, a 108.6% increase in just one week. This sharp rebound marks the single highest daily booking volume recorded so far in 2025 and reiterates how quickly shippers responded to the policy shift.

Get Ahead with Early Trade Intelligence

Vizion’s TradeView platform gives you live visibility into:

1. Booking trends by product type, HS code, or commodity
2. Changes by country or port
3. Shipment behavior by consignee, shipper, and logistics provider

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Want a walkthrough? Schedule time with our team to explore how TradeView helps you anticipate disruption and stay competitive.

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‍Stay Updated: Bookmark this blog or subscribe to our marketing list below for updates on global container booking trends, including US export activity. We’ll continue to track the data in real time to help you navigate what’s next.