China-to-U.S. Containership Bookings Jump 50%, Says Hapag-Lloyd

Containership bookings from China to the U.S. have shot up more than 50% this week after the nations’ agreement to roll back tariffs, the head of German carrier Hapag-Lloyd said Wednesday.

Trans-Pacific bookings dropped sharply last month after a surge in March as U.S. importers stocked up ahead of President Trump’s new tariffs. Now that the base U.S. tariff rate on Chinese goods was cut to 30% from 145%, demand has been very strong, Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said on an earnings call with analysts.

“I think we have seen over the last couple of days that bookings have indeed been up more than 50% compared to what we saw the last four weeks,” Jansen said, adding volumes also are up in double-digit percentages from the period before tariffs.

He said the Hamburg company expects “a little bit of a surge” in volumes in the coming 60 to 90 days, and potentially some frontloading by importers before the 90-day agreement ends. Anything beyond that would be difficult to predict and depends on the outcome of trade talks. Jansen also said the carrier had reversed a decision to use smaller ships on some trans-Pacific routes to avoid canceling sailings outright, with larger ships returning in the next week or week after that.

Hapag-Lloyd reports a 50% surge in China-to-U.S. container bookings following a temporary tariff truce, signaling a significant rebound in sea freight demand. This uptick reflects heightened importer activity ahead of the 90-day tariff window, potentially influencing freight rates and capacity planning in the coming months.

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