RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index

Container Throughput Index: Global trade has recovered slightly – renewed conflicts in the Persian Gulf are dampening the outlook

31.07.2026

The temporary framework agreement between the US and Iran, together with the brief reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, has boosted global trade in June. The recovery in container throughput is thus continuing. However, the renewed flare-up of fighting in the Persian Gulf threatens to slow this positive trend once again.

The essence in a nutshell:

Container throughput at international ports rose slightly in June 2026. The index rose by 1.1 points from 142.0 (revised) to 143.1 index points. This marks a continuation of the recovery in container throughput following the energy price shock in the spring.
The Nordrange Index, which is regarded as a leading indicator of economic development in the northern eurozone, particularly in Germany, rose slightly from 121.1 points (revised) to 121.5 points.
The index for Chinese ports rose from 157.4 points (revised) to 159.1 points.The recovery in world trade is likely to continue
The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for July 2026 will be published on 28 August 2026.

Torsten Schmidt

RWI-Konjunkturchef

We continue to expect significant fluctuations in global trade. Developments in June have made it clear that freight traffic will pick up again immediately as soon as the hostilities in the Persian Gulf come to an end and the price of oil falls. However, as long as the region remains in turmoil, supply chains will remain unstable and, ultimately, there is a risk of higher prices at the petrol station and on supermarket shelves.

About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:

The index includes data on container throughput collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor from 90 international ports, which account for around 64 percent of global container throughput. The current flash estimate for the container throughput index is based on data from 73,0 percent of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly conducted by sea, container transshipments allow reliable conclusions to be drawn about world trade. Because many ports report on their activities just two weeks after the end of a month, the RWI/ISL Container Transshipment Index is a reliable early indicator of developments in international trade in manufactured goods and thus also of global economic activity.

The Container Throughput Index is part of the foreign trade statistics in the Federal Statistical Office’s „Dashboard Deutschland“

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