Worldwide container volumes continue to rise
Published June 22, 2018 in Industry
Despite rising tension in trade relations across the world, the global container volumes are still rising, according to the container throughput index compiled by the German research body Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI - Leibniz) and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL).
The consolidated figures for May reveal a marked surge from 131.1 to 133.1 points, a strong uptick after a period of lateral movement.
May's analysis is based on figures from 39 ports which represent about 70% of the throughput the index covers. The index itself is based on data from 81 world container ports that are continuously monitored by the ISL as part of its general market analysis that covers about 60% of worldwide container handling.
Given that most of the international merchandise is transported by ship, the volume of container handling activities provides reliable indicators about the state of world trade. The June figures will be published on 24 July. (kd)
