From boom to breather: port throughput braces for second-half slowdown
- Global container port growth is forecast to fall from 7.2% in 2024 to just over 3% in 2025
- Full effect of US trade policies expected to hit in 2026
- Lower demand offers ‘breathing room’ for ports to recalibrate
Global container port growth is set to decelerate sharply during the second half of 2025 and into 2026, as frontloaded cargo volumes and rising US tariffs weigh on demand, but a slowdown could offer congested ports a much-needed reprieve
