Global container traffic rose 2.3 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis in January to 117.6 points compared to December's 115, owing in part to the late Chinese New Year rush in shipping activities ahead of the factory shutdowns, Exim News Service reports.
According to the Container Throughput Index compiled by Germany's Rheinisch-Westfalisches Institut fur Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI) and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), January figures were influenced by the Chinese New Year that closes factories over the holidays. In response, shippers attempted to deliver goods ahead of the Lunar New Year, which drove up volumes in January.
"This will be followed by a decline which this year will fully be registered in February since New Year was held relatively late. Container throughput in the destinations on Europe and America will this time be dampened even in March.
"The index for December was revised downward compared to the flash estimate by 0.5 points, which is in the range of earlier revisions. Since the index is published, the average revision of the flash forecast was 0.8 points in the first month after its publication," said the note accompanying the index.
The January flash forecast is based on a sample of 39 ports handling roughly 75 per cent of the traffic represented in the index, whereas the Container Throughput Index is based on data from 73 ports monitored by the ISL that handle 60 per cent of global container throughput, an official release said.
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