Gulf crisis fails to dent container volume growth — for now
- Global container volumes rose 4.4% year on year in May to 17.35m teu, leaving year-to-date throughput 5% ahead of 2025
- Transpacific demand remained the market’s main growth engine, with Asia-North America volumes up 21% year on year as Chinese exports surged and shippers resumed cargo movements amid a relative easing of US-China trade tensions
- Emerging market trades continued to outpace traditional east-west routes, with Asia-Sub-Saharan Africa volumes jumping 28.4%, while Middle East Gulf-related disruption pushed freight rates higher
Global container volumes continued to grow in May despite the loss of 1.6m teu of Middle East trade, as a resurgence in transpacific demand and resilient emerging market imports helped offset disruption caused by the MEG crisis and broader geopolitical uncertainty