Drewry’s latest assessment - April 2018

• In February 2018, the global container port throughput index declined by 13 points to 114, after reaching nearly 127 points in January 2018. This was a reflection of the typical sharp dip in activity seen in February each year.
• However, the February 2018 global figure was almost nine points up on the February 2017 level (representing 8.2% annual growth) and more than twelve points up on the February 2016 level of 102 points, pointing to sustained underlying growth.
• On a month-on-month basis, the February index figure showed a decline in all regions except Africa which bucked the trend with close to 13% growth. This was largely due to a near 30% volume uptick at Durban, by far the largest port in the (relatively small) sample.
• After reaching an all-time high of 138 points in January 2018 since the inception of Drewry Container port throughput index (Jan 2012), the index figure for China declined by 19% to 112 points in February 2018. The dampening effect of Chinese New Year is felt most acutely in, not surprisingly, China. The impact of the ban on waste products may also be biting. The China index was though up 8% compared to the February 2017 figure.
• Other world regions saw a lesser decline than China in February, with Europe the least affected region, closely followed by North and Latin America.

* Note that the index figures for Africa are based on a relatively small sample, and should be viewed with caution
# Index figures for February 2018 are preliminary, subject to revision when further data obtained