Tariffs, Tankers & Ticking Clocks: Why the U.S. Has 6 Weeks to Dodge a Supply Crunch

Washington’s trade stand-off with Beijing has not cooled—it has intensified. The Section 301 duties that already hit Chinese imports at 7.5 %–25 % (and up to 145 % for “strategic” categories) are still fully in force, and on 2 May the White House closes the $800 de-minimis loophole, bringing every parcel from China under the tariff umbrella. Just ten days earlier, the U.S. Trade Representative opened a new 301 action that will add fees to Chinese-built ships and cranes calling at American ports, extending the pain beyond containers to the vessels themselves.

The market reacted immediately. Ocean carriers began scrubbing departures—so-called blank sailings—at an unprecedented clip. In the three-week window that runs from mid-April to early May, roughly one out of every two scheduled trans-Pacific service loops has been cancelled, according to Flexport’s latest market note. On the Asia-to-U.S. East-Coast route, the week beginning 5 May will sail with only 58 % of its normal capacity; 42 % has been blanked. The West-Coast lane is little better: for the week of 28 April, 28 % of available slots vanished—double the previous week’s share. Sea-Intelligence’s tally shows the absolute volume of removed slots exploding from about 60,000 TEU to nearly 368,000 TEU in just three weeks, a six-fold surge that underscores how fast carriers are pulling tonnage off the Pacific.

U.S. ports are already feeling the draft. Forward-booking data scraped from bills of lading shows total U.S. import orders plunging 64 % between 24 March and 8 April—and 36 % for China-origin cargo alone. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka now warns of an imminent 35 % slide in China-sourced containers by mid-May, the worst drop since the pandemic’s early days. Given that most companies carry six to eight weeks of inventory, analysts reckon the “empty-shelf moment” will hit in early-to-mid-June—about 40 to 50 days from now if the cancellation pace holds.

Europe, meanwhile, is sailing smooth. Because Brussels has paused its own tariff escalation and demand there remains strong, carriers are redeploying their idle vessels to Atlantic and intra-Europe lanes. Capacity across Rotterdam, Antwerp and Valencia is stable, spot rates are tame, and dwell times remain under four days. In other words, while every second ship once bound for the U.S. West Coast is now on the sidelines, North-Atlantic services continue to run close to schedule.

What to do before the clock runs out

If you source chemicals, ingredients or intermediates from Asia, this is the moment to pivot. Chemicals United already stocks product inside the European Union—just 9 – 12 days by water from the U.S. East Coast. Ordering from our Antwerp, Rotterdam or Barcelona hubs means:

• No Section 301 or maritime surcharges—your landed duty drops by 20 – 125 percentage points compared with China.
• A crossing that is one-third the length of a Pacific transit, giving you fresh inventory before the June pinch.
• Guaranteed space: we have pre-booked spring Atlantic capacity, so your cargo moves even as Pacific slots disappear.

Stay stocked while competitors scramble—contact your Chemicals United representative today, while the Atlantic is still clear and the clock is still ticking.