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 no change in July. It reached 126.2 points in June (revised) and July.
• After a strong recovery in the past months, Chinese ports are showing a slight weakening in container throughput activity. The index for Chinese ports decreased from 137.4 to 136.0.
• The North Range Index, an indicator for economic development in northern Europe and Germany, has recorded a more significant decrease in July from 113.0 (revised) to 110.7.
• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for August 2022 will be published on September 30, 2022.

Commenting on the development of the Container Throughput Index, RWI’s head of economic research, Torsten Schmidt says: “The container throughput is stabilising at a high level. It seems like the cargo trade, which had been stagnating due to disturbed supply chains, is finally starting to flow again. The recent decrease of container freight rates indicates an easing of container trade tensions.”

About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index:

The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index consists of container throughput data from 90 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 93 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 Container Throughput Index: Nordrange

Graphic in printable resolution

Data for special evaluation excluding chinese ports