U.S. ports got some relief in 2022 as widespread port congestion caused by COVID-19-related demand surges unwound.

Congestion generally eased worldwide beginning in the middle of 2022 as demand broadly fell and terminal and supply chain capacity improved, according to Turloch Mooney, product management associate director for Maritime, Trade and Supply Chain at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Shippers imported the equivalent of 31.6 million 20-foot containers into the U.S. last year, down from nearly 33 million in 2021, according to data from Panjiva.

"Longer-term, the key requirement is to improve fluidity and capacity right along the logistics chain," Mooney said.

Activity at largest ports slows

All three of the biggest ports in the U.S., located in California and New Jersey, saw fewer imports in 2022 than in 2021. But while activity was down year over year, those ports were still busier than they were before the pandemic.

Big ports in Georgia and Texas, meanwhile, recorded slight increases in imports in 2022. The ports of Savannah and Houston posted record cargo volumes, officials said, crediting terminal upgrades that increased cargo handling capacity.

Product imports fall

Volume growth of the biggest categories of imports declined or slowed in 2022 from a year ago. Building products imports fell 6.2% in 2022 after soaring 22.9% year over year in 2021.

Panjiva is the supply chain research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, a division of S&P Global Inc.