After a sound growth in 2024 and the first month of 2025, in February, worldwide seaborne container trade suddenly contracted by 0.7% to 28.4 million TEU, most probably caused by the US trade tariff measures. Interestingly, it was not US imports, still growing 2.4%, but US exports (-12%) that took a big hit. Probably, importers have brought forward their shipments to avoid potential import taxes. The overall Europe trade shrank in both directions by around 3.5%. In total, thirty of the forty-nine specific trade lanes saw negative developments.
When presented graphically, it looks as if in February trade volumes suddenly dropped off a cliff. Even with the most recent US trade tariffs suspended except those for China the situation is still expected to deteriorate in the subsequent months.
For the combined January-February period, the year-on-year growth is still a positive 2.0%. In this instance, twenty-one trades declined, six of those relating to North America exports.
Source: DynaLiners 15/25 – 11 April 2025
