The essence in a nutshell:

• The Container Throughput Index of RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) recorded a seasonally adjusted increase in February from 117.4 (revised) to 122.4 points.
• At the same time the downturn in European ports continued. The North Range Index, which summarises the development of major North Sea ports in continental Europe, dropped from 93.6 in December to 89.8 in January.
• In Chinese ports, container traffic was slightly down. The China Index reached 130.1 in February after 132.3 in January (revised). However, the index values always need cautious interpretation around Chinese New Year holidays.
• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for the month of March 2023 will be published on April 28^th, 2023

Commenting on the development of the Container Throughput Index, RWI’s head of economic research Torsten Schmidt says: “While global container traffic evened out the January loss, it continued to decline in European ports. This indicates a weakening trade volume, particularly in Germany.”

About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index:

The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index consists of container throughput data from 94 international ports gathered continuously by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor as part of its market observation. These ports account for approximately 64 percent of global container traffic. The current flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index is based on data from about 49 percent of the total index displayed here. As international trade is handled primarily by sea, reliable conclusions can be drawn here from container port throughput data. Furthermore, the index is a reliable early indicator of international trade of manufactured goods as well as global economic activity as most ports already report their activities within two weeks after the end of each month. The container throughput index is part of the statistics on foreign trade in the „Dashboard Deutschland“ of the Federal Statistical Office.

Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor.

Data Container Throughput Index and North Range Index

Graphic Container Throughput Index in printable resolution

RWI/ISL-Containerumschlag-Index: Nordrange

Graphic in printable resolution

Data for special evaluation excluding chinese ports