RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index

RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: Global trade defies US tarriffs

28.08.2025

According to the latest flash estimate, the Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) increased in July compared to the previous month to a seasonally adjusted 137.5 points after a revised 135.4 points in June. This has evened out the losses related to US tarriffs of the previous months. The previously subdued container traffic between the US and China increased sharply. In parallel, throughput in Chinese ports also increased, indicating a growth of Chinese exports. Though slightly less pronounced than in the US and China, container traffic also gained momentum in Europe.

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) increased from 135.4 points (revised) in June to 137.5 points in July.
The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, showed a moderate upswing from 117.5 points (revised) in June to 118.4 points in July.
In the Chinese ports, container throughput showed a pronounced uptick from 148.7 points (revised) in June to 150.6 points in July.
The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for August 2025 will be published on September 30, 2025.

Torsten Schmidt

RWI-Konjunkturchef

Global trade is recovering after the tarriff-related downturn. It reacts less to US tarriffs than expected – partly because traders find ways to reduce the impact of tarriffs. Recent negotiations of the US with China and the EU have calmed the situation further. However, as long as there are no binding agreements and tarriff policy, international trade will continue to fluctuate.

Sönke Maatsch

Head of Maritime Markets at ISL

The container traffic in North American ports is on a roller-coaster ride this year. In the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on the US West Coast, throughput reached an all-time high in July with almost 2.0 million TEU. However, this particularly due to imports and the handling of empty containers.

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 76 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.