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RWI/ISL Container Handling Index stagnates: War in Iran threatens global trade

Press release from the

In February 2026, container throughput remained at a relatively high level. China scaled back its exports due to the New Year celebrations. This led to a decline in container throughput. At the same time, goods throughput in other regions of the world increased, which can be attributed to Chinese businesses bringing forward their trade in January. Overall, global trade continues to show a moderate upward trend. However, the war in Iran at the end of February is likely to slow this development.

The most important points in brief:

  • The Container Handling Index compiled by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Maritime Transport and Logistics (ISL) remained broadly stable in February at 144.8 points (seasonally adjusted), compared with 144.9 points (revised) in the previous month 

  • The Nordrange Index, which provides an indication of economic trends in the northern eurozone and in Germany, rose significantly from 115.6 points (revised) to 118.2 points in February

  • Container throughput at Chinese ports has fallen significantly – from 171.2 points in the previous month (revised) to 160.3 points

  • The RWI/ISL Container Handling Index for March 2026 will be published on 30 April 2026

Commenting on the trend in the container throughput index, RWI Chief Economist Torsten Schmidt says: “Container throughput was running smoothly at the start of the year. But the war in Iran is throwing a spanner in the works for the global economy and our own national economy too. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and international supply chains have been severely disrupted. Our analysis points to weaker economic growth and rising inflation rates.”

About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:

The index includes data on container throughput collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor from 90 international ports, which account for around 64 per cent of global container throughput. The current flash estimate for the container throughput index is based on data from 86 per cent of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly conducted by sea, container throughput provides reliable insights into global trade. Because many ports report on their activities just two weeks after the end of a month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator of developments in international trade in manufactured goods and thus also of global economic activity. The Container Throughput Index is part of the foreign trade statistics in the Federal Statistical Office's ‘Dashboard Germany’. It is also used by many international bodies such as UNCTAD and is included in the ‘Shipping/Port Data’ section of the WTO's Global Trade Data Portal.

Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor 
Further background information on the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index can be found at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex.

Your contacts for this:

Prof. Dr. Torsten Schmidt, Tel.: (0201) 8149-287, torsten.schmidt@rwi-essen.de

Alexander Bartel (Communication), Tel.: (0201) 8149-354, alexander.bartel@rwi-essen.de 

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