RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index
Strong surge of container traffic in European ports
26.04.2024
According to the latest flash estimate by the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), the Container Throughput Index has increased to 129.3 points during the past month. In European ports, it increased by more than 10 per cent compared to February while it stagnated in most other world regions.
The essence in a nutshell:
- The seasonally adjusted Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) increased to 129.3 points in March from 128.6 points (revised) in February.
- The North Range Index, which gives an indication of economic development in the northern Eurozone and Germany, shows a strong increase from a revised 103.7 points in February to 114.9 points in March.
- Container throughput in Chinese ports mostly stagnated at 138.9 points.
- The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for April 2024 will be published on 29 May 2024.
Torsten Schmidt
About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index
The index takes into account container throughput data continuously collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor at 92 international ports, representing approximately 64 per cent of global container throughput. The present flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index relies on data representing approximately 33 per cent of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly handles by sea, the development of container throughput provides reliable insights into global merchandise trade. As many ports already report their data a fortnight after the end of each month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator of the international merchandise trade and hence also of global economic activity.
The Container Troughput Index is 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.
