Global transport volumes of containerized cargo grew 5.9 percent to 13.85 million TEUs in April compared with the same month a year ago, boosted by strong growth in imports and exports across Asia, Europe and North America, according to the latest data from industry analyst Container Trade Statistics (CTS).
On a sequential basis, total volumes were down 1.3 percent from March, but this is generally to be expected based on historical seasonality.
Containerized exports from Far East Asia increased 4.6 percent year-over-year to 7.6 million TEUs for the month, while import volumes climbed 4.8 percent to 5.2 million TEUs.
In North America, container export volumes surged 11.1 percent to 1.4 million TEUs, and imports jumped 7.1 percent to 2.3 million TEUs compared with April 2017.
European exports increased 5.1 percent to 2.5 million TEUs, while import volumes rose 6.2 percent to 2.8 million TEUs.
Through the first four months of 2018, total international volumes have grown 4.7 percent to 54.24 million TEUs compared with the same 2017 period, according to CTS.
The increase in international trade volumes is welcome news for ocean carriers, which have seen container freight rates falter throughout the early portion of 2018, leading to some disappointing financial results.
Leading carriers Maersk Line, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, as well as smaller players like Yang Ming and ZIM, have all reported losses for first-quarter 2018, leading analysts to speculate as to whether the industry’s return to profitability last year might have been a short-term bounce.