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RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: Strong rise in September masks the risks

Press release from the

Global container throughput rose sharply in September compared with the previous month. In Chinese ports in particular, it rose sharply by six per cent following a prolonged period of weakness. One reason for this is likely to be the effect of business being brought forward ahead of the public holidays in early October. Container throughput also picked up in the rest of the world. This is likely to partly reflect the global AI boom, which is driving trade in electrical engineering.

The Container Handling Index, calculated by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Maritime Transport and Logistics (ISL), rose sharply in September from 142.4 (revised) to 146.8 index points. Many companies now appear to have adapted to the supply difficulties from the Gulf region, meaning that their dampening effect is less noticeable.

Differences in key port regions 

Container throughput rose at varying rates across the world’s regions. In Chinese ports, the index climbed particularly sharply – from 156.5 (revised) to 165.9 points. The Nordrange Index, which is regarded as a leading indicator of economic development in the northern eurozone, also rose in September. However, with an increase from 123.9 points (revised) to 124.5 points, the growth was less pronounced than in Chinese ports and not as strong as in the previous month.

Global trade remains robust

Commenting on the trend in the Container Handling Index, RWI Chief Economist Torsten Schmidt says: “Global trade is proving to be more resilient than we had anticipated during the Iran war. However, this does not mean we can rest easy. The sharp rise in September is likely to be largely due to a one-off effect in China: ahead of ‘Golden Week’ around the National Day holiday, when many factories shut down, exporters appear to have brought forward a particularly large number of shipments this year. As a result, cargo handling in Chinese ports is likely to slow down again in October. Above all, however, the consequences of the war are not yet over: high energy costs are working their way through the supply chains and gradually making more and more goods more expensive. A harsh winter or a renewed escalation in the Gulf could exacerbate the shortage of diesel and heating oil and drive the already high inflation even higher.”

About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:

The RWI/ISL Container Handling Index for September 2026 will be published on 30 November 2026.

The index incorporates data on container throughput at 90 international ports, which account for around 64 per cent of global container throughput, collected on an ongoing basis as part of the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor. The current flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index is based on data covering 66 per cent of the throughput represented in the index. As international trade is primarily conducted by sea, container throughput provides reliable insights into global trade. Because many ports report their activities just two weeks after the end of a month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable leading indicator of trends in international trade in manufactured goods and, consequently, of global economic activity. The Container Throuput Index forms part of the foreign trade statistics in the Federal Statistical Office’s “Dashboard Deutschland”. 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 Throuput Index can be found at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex.

Your contacts for this matter:

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

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

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