Imports at major US retail container ports are expected to see a sharper-than-usual decline this month as the coronavirus causes factory shutdowns in China. While February is historically a slow month for imports due to factories closing for the Lunar New Year, many Chinese factories have already stayed closed longer than usual, with no indication of when they may reopen. February is currently forecast to be down 12.9 percent year-over-year at 1.41 million TEU, while March is expected to down 9.5 percent year-over-year at 1.46 million TEU. Before the coronavirus outbreak, the NRF had forecast February at 1.54 million TEU and March at 1.7 million TEU.
