'We Currently Have No Container Ships,' Seattle Port Says

Status at the Port of Seattle

• Article quotes a commissioner saying “we currently have no container ships at berth,” which commenters note can be literally true at a moment in time and still be a normal but rare event.
• Ship-tracking sites show few or no container ships at Seattle compared with other ports, though bulk carriers and other vessel types may still call.
• Some context links indicate Seattle/Tacoma volumes were already expected to be below pandemic peaks for years, with local operational and political factors also discussed elsewhere.

Debate Over “Empty,” Snopes, and Data Quality

• A major subthread disputes rhetoric like “empty port” vs. data showing ~30–35% drops in cargo or imports.
• One side argues that if ships are still arriving (even 30% light), calling the port “empty” is simply false.
• The other side counters that, for workers and terminal utilization, a large underuse can feel “effectively empty” and that labeling such claims “mostly false” downplays the real shock.
• Additional disagreement over Snopes’ style: some see it as pedantic but accurate; others see political bias or unhelpfully binary ratings.

Broader Port and Trade Impacts

• Commenters stress Seattle is not the biggest West Coast port; LA/Long Beach and other major ports (Savannah, Houston, etc.) matter more for system-wide effects.
• Data points cited: LA reported ~32–35% year-over-year drops for some weeks; some East Coast/Gulf ports show rising or stable volumes, potentially due to origin shifts (India, Vietnam, etc.) and pre-tariff front-loading.
• Smaller ports like Seattle are described as “overflow” for bigger hubs and thus more quickly impacted when overall volume falls.
• Speculation that some cargo is being diverted to Vancouver or stored tariff-free offshore, though capacity and geography constraints are noted.

Mechanics and Uncertainty Around Tariffs

• Several comments explain that many exporters paused shipments in April so arrivals after tariffs took effect would fall, leading to a lagged dip in May.
• There is confusion/clarification over whether these tariffs are assessed at departure or arrival; in this case, some say departure.
• Multiple people caution against over-interpreting week-to-week data in a noisy, lagged system; others warn against ignoring early warning signs.

Are Tariffs Doing What’s Intended?

• One camp: reduced inbound volume is the intended outcome—tariffs are supposed to throttle imports and push production onshore.
• Another camp: this contradicts other stated goals like lowering inflation and “creating jobs”; early evidence shows port workers, truckers, and related sectors losing work.
• Debate over whether policy is malicious (manufacturing crisis and scapegoats) or simply incompetent and short-termist; several invoke Hanlon’s razor.

Manufacturing, Jobs, and Feasibility of Reshoring

• Some argue the US remains a top manufacturer by value but with far fewer workers due to automation; China’s edge is scale, labor, and deep supply chains.
• Others worry about dependence on China for key inputs (pharma precursors, low-end chips, shipbuilding, military-adjacent tech) and see reshoring as strategically necessary.
• Skeptics note that even if manufacturing returns, it will be heavily automated and not recreate mid‑20th‑century middle-class jobs.
• A longer subthread says true competition with China would require massive, long-term changes: early education investment, cheaper housing, healthcare reform, crushing local monopolies—well beyond tariffs.

Geopolitics, Sanctions, and the Dollar

• Some see current trends as eroding US leverage: if manufacturing and supply chains concentrate in China, sanctions become less effective.
• Others clarify that dollar primacy is sustained more by global use of USD and US trade deficits than by domestic manufacturing.
• Concern is expressed that disrupting trade and dollar primacy simultaneously is “blowing up” a historically favorable position for the US.

Information Sources and Media Critique

• Multiple commenters recommend a specific YouTube shipping-analytics channel as more data-driven and less sensational than mainstream coverage.
• There is frustration with sensational headlines (“empty ports”) and paywall/ad-heavy news sites, seen as fueling polarization rather than clarifying what’s actually happening.