Car-carrying ships send added cargo to US ahead of looming tariffs

Car-carrying ships have sent more cargo from Europe and China, Japan and Korea to the US in the first months of the year than last year, shipping data showed, in a sign of companies front-loading shipments before looming tariffs.

A total of 33 so-called roll on, roll off ships — designed for wheeled cargo and mostly carrying new cars — left Europe for the US in February this year, up from 28 in February 2024, according to data analytics firm Esgian, which monitors shipping routes and ports worldwide.

Those ships will have been able to carry about 30,000 more vehicles across the Atlantic, said Stian Omli, senior vice-president at Esgian.

From Japan, China and Korea, the number of car-carrying ships leaving for the US rose by eight in January from last year's levels to 69. Some of February's shipments were probably still on their way to the US, Omli said, expecting the total monthly figure to be higher than last year's.

"Evidence points to increased activity from Europe and the far East. Those two regions represent the major export regions to the US," Omli said.

The US's announcement of a 25% tariff on car imports rippled through car stocks on Thursday, with governments from Ottawa to Paris threatening retaliation as car companies from BMW to Volkswagen pleaded for deals to avert a trade war.

While some carmakers have announced plans to expand US production, others have proceeded with more caution, with executives expressing doubt in private over whether threatened tariffs would come into force.

In the past week, the number of car carriers bound for US ports from around the world rose 5% to 89, Esgian's data showed.

The new levies could add thousands of dollars to the cost of an average vehicle in the US, contradicting President Donald Trump's promises to combat consumer inflation and further dampening demand at a time when the sector is already struggling to manage the transition to electric cars.