Drewry’s Global Container Port Throughput Index increased 0.5% MoM and 5.6% YoY in April. Meanwhile, the rolling 12-month growth rate for global port handling remained steady at 6.5%. On a YTD (Jan-Apr) basis, port volumes have risen most strongly in North America (+9.7%) and the Middle East and South Asia (+9.6%), with Greater China (+7.5%) not too far behind. Oceania remains the only region reporting a decline, with throughput falling 3.1% YTD.

• The Greater China Container Port Throughput Index increased 2.3% MoM to 125.4 points in April, up 7.1% YoY, while the 12-month average growth rate rose to 6.5%-matching the global average. The largest ports in the region continue to experience strong throughput growth-with the top 5 ports up 10% YoY on average in April. Shenzhen stands out, with volumes up 15% YoY, followed by Guangzhou (+10.3% YoY) and Ningbo (+9.1% YoY).
• The North American Container Port Throughput Index rose 2.2% MoM in April to 118.4 points, up 10.3% YoY. The rolling 12-month average growth rate recovered slightly, rising to 10.2%. Volumes at most major USWC ports rose in April, both on MoM and YoY basis. Long Beach continued its strong start to 2025 with April throughput up 6.1% MoM/15.6% YoY. Los Angeles also did well, with handling up 8.3% MoM/9.4% YoY.
• In contrast, the Latin America Container Port Throughput Index fell 3.2% MoM in April, but remained up 2.8% on an annual basis. The rolling 12-month average growth rate decreased to 9.0%, which although still well above the global average of 6.5% indicates a loss of momentum in this regional market. After the surge in March, throughput at the five Panama terminals fell 5% MoM in April, which was just 1.5% above April 2024 level. Volumes at Santos port were flat MoM, but up 2% YoY in April, and despite 11% MoM decline reported at Callao, volumes remain 11% ahead on YoY basis.