Fashion
US container imports steady despite Iran conflict: NRF
“Just because retailers don’t import a lot of merchandise from the Middle East doesn’t mean the US supply chain isn’t affected by the turmoil there,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for Supply Chain and Customs Policy.
US container imports remain largely unaffected by the Iran conflict, though rising fuel costs are increasing shipping expenses.
Tariffs and policy uncertainty continue to pressure trade, while global supply chain disruptions pose indirect risks.
February volumes fell 7.5 per cent MoM to 1.95 million TEU.
Despite short-term fluctuations, imports in H1 2026 are projected to decline 1.8 per cent YoY.
He added that the supply chain is global and disruptions anywhere along it can have ripple effects whether it’s rerouting of vessels, equipment out of position, higher fuel costs for shippers or rising gas prices that leave less money in consumers’ pockets.
“Retailers are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and working with their transportation partners to minimize any impact,” he said, adding retailers continue to face rising tariffs and continued trade policy uncertainty, which put downward pressure on imports and upward pressure on prices.
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said volume at US container imports has been slowed by tariffs but is not being significantly affected by the situation in Iran because little US container cargo comes from the region. Nonetheless, the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is driving up the price of fuel for container ships worldwide at the same time consumers are paying more for gasoline, he said.
In addition, ports in Asia depend on fuel from the Persian Gulf and could see shortages if the conflict is not resolved soon. It is too soon to assess the impact of the two-week ceasefire announced on Tuesday, Hackett further said.
“The United States is less impacted operationally as there is no shortage of fuel at US ports, but the price of fuel here is based on international pricing,” added Hackett. “Higher fuel costs drive up the price of shipping a container for either import or export and ultimately have an inflationary impact on consumers and other end users.”
The report noted that US ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.95 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU)—one 20-foot container or its equivalent—in February, although the Port of New York/New Jersey has not yet reported its data. That was down 7.5 per cent from January and down 4.2 per cent year over year (YoY). February is traditionally the slowest month of the year because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia.
Ports have not reported March numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.97 million TEU, down 8.3 per cent YoY. April is forecast at 2.08 million TEU, down 5.6 YoY; May at 2.09 million TEU, up 7.3 per cent; June at 2.1 million TEU, up 6.9 per cent; July at 2.2 million TEU, down 8 per cent, and August at 2.18 million TEU, down 6 per cent.
Those numbers would bring the first half of 2026 to 12.3 million TEU, down 1.8 per cent from 12.53 million TEU during the same period in 2025. The YoY increases in May and June are largely because of the sharp drop-off in imports during those months last year after ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were announced in April 2025.
Imports totalled 25.4 million TEU in 2025, down 0.3 per cent from 25.5 million TEU in 2024.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Kenneth Straka, Senior Product Development Manager at Deckers Outdoor Corporation, said that Deckers places strong emphasis on sustainability, noting that founder John Luke often reminded the team that the French word for sustainability is durability. This idea aligned with discussions at the Global Fashion Summit, where the theme centred on “Building Resilient Futures” in the sustainable and circular economy.
Durability has helped UGG become one of the most sought-after boot brands and a key sales driver for Deckers, alongside its sportswear brand Hoka. “One of the things we think about in terms of circularity is making products that last a long time and remain with consumers throughout their lives. We want products that consumers can wear for ** or ** years,” Straka said in an interview with Fibre*Fashion on the sidelines of the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen.
In the Tiruppur market, cotton yarn prices increased by ****;*–* per kg in this week despite sluggish local demand. Prices were quoted higher because of limited supply from spinning mills. A trader from the Tiruppur market told Fibre*Fashion, “Domestic demand remained limited, but spinning mills are not relying solely on the domestic market for cotton yarn sales. They are focusing more on exports, where demand and prices remain attractive. Mills have raised yarn prices following higher ICE cotton prices and the CCI’s increase in auction base prices, although ICE cotton has witnessed a sharp decline over the past two days.”
In Tiruppur, knitting cotton yarn prices were noted as: ** count combed cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg (excluding GST), ** count combed cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, ** count combed cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, ** count carded cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, ** count carded cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, and ** count carded cotton yarn at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg.
BGMEA president Mahmud Hasan Khan said they discussed export diversification within the garment sector, reopening of closed factories and many factories’ struggle for survival.
Representatives of two top Bangladesh garment trade bodies recently met PM Tarique Rahman and urged him to ensure uninterrupted power and energy supply, quick release of export receipts from banks, reopening of closed factories and easing of customs regulations.
BKMEA raised concerns about misuse of the bond facility and urged action against violators of bond licences.
104 factories have informed the BGMEA about their closure till now, Khan said. BGMEA will scrutinise these cases to identify the genuine reasons for the closures.
Following the scrutiny, the association will send recommendations for reopening these factories, as the government is working to open a Tk 200-billion fund to assist their revival.
BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem said some 400 factories closed in the last three years—nearly 300 of them due to non-cooperation from banks. He said banks release export receipts to exporters’ lien accounts, but delays in payment often force loans into default, leaving exporters unable to pay suppliers on time.
He also demanded uninterrupted supply of power and gas to industrial units as recent shortages of fuel oil have severely affected productivity, according to domestic media ooutlets.
Hatem raised concerns about misuse of the bond facility and urged action against violators of bond licences.
He also called for easing the rules of the National Board of Revenue, particularly customs procedures, to smoothen export and import processes and reduce lead times.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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