Transpacific Container Lane

The ocean trade lane that carries the bulk of America's container imports from Asia.

Overview

Roughly two weeks to 20 days from China's coast to Los Angeles and Long Beach, with Pacific Northwest and all-water services via Panama serving other gates, the lane is the largest by trade value in container shipping. The pandemic crunch of 2021 put over 100 ships in queue off San Pedro Bay, a visible signature of American consumption. Carriers manage capacity with blank sailings, and sourcing shifts toward Vietnam, India and Mexico have reweighted ports rather than dethroned the lane. The backhaul imbalance is structural: the biggest US export by container count is empty containers.