RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index
Chinese ports support container throughput
28.09.2023
According to the latest flash forecast, the Container Throughput Index of RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) rose in August to a seasonally adjusted 124.7 points compared to the previous month. The increase is mainly due to container handling in Chinese ports. However, in many other regions of the world it has declined.
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) rose seasonally adjusted in August to 124.7 points compared to 123.4 points (revised) in the previous month.
- In the Chinese ports, on the other hand, container throughput expanded strongly. Their index value increased from 139.3 to 143.0 points.
- The North Range Index, which considers major continental European ports on the North Sea, fell sharply in August from 107.8 (revised) to 103.1 points compared to the previous month.
- The RWI/ISL Container Handling Index for September 2023 will be published on October, 27th 2023.
Torsten Schmidt
About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index
The index takes into account the container throughput data continuously collected by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor in 92 international ports, which account for around 64 per cent of global container throughput. The current quick estimate for the container throughput index is based on data from around 51 per cent of the throughput shown in the index. Since international trade is mainly handled by sea, container throughputs allow reliable conclusions to be drawn about world trade. Because many ports already report on their activities 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 thus also of global economic activity. The Container Turnover 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.
