The most important facts in brief:

• The seasonally adjusted Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) fell to 135.3 points in March compared to 137.6 points (revised) in the previous month.
• The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, fell from 112.8 (revised) to 112.1 points in March compared to the previous month.
• In the Chinese ports, container throughput fell to 154.8 points compared to 157.8 points (revised) in the previous month.
• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for April 2025 will be published on 28. May 2025.

Commenting on the development of the Container Throughput Index, RWI head of economic research Torsten Schmidt says: ‘Global container throughput is sending out the first alarm signals due to US customs policy. While container throughput rose in almost all regions of the world in January and February, this was followed by a slump in March. A pull-forward effect: traders apparently rushed to ship their goods in the first two months of the year before the announced tariffs came into force. Trade between China and the USA in particular is likely to come under further pressure in the coming months. And although tariffs have been temporarily suspended for some countries, this is hardly a reason to sound the all-clear - the erratic tariff announcements and the unpredictability of future US trade policy continue to keep global markets in a state of permanent uncertainty.’

Sönke Maatsch, Head of Maritime Markets at the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), adds: "We are particularly observing developments in the container ports on the west coast of the USA, through which the majority of Asian trade is handled. This is where the effects of the US tariffs against China will be felt first and particularly strongly. In March, imports there were still 12 per cent higher than in the same month last year."

About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:

The index is based on data on container throughput in 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 from around 67 per cent of the throughput shown in the index. As most international trade is handled by sea, container throughput allows reliable conclusions to be drawn about global trade. As 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 the development of international trade in processed goods and therefore also of global economic activity. The Container Throughput Index is part of the statistics on foreign trade in the „Dashboard Deutschland“ of the Federal Statistical Office. 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.

Data RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index

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RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: North Range

Data for special evaluation excluding Chinese ports

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