Global container throughput reached an all-time monthly high in July 2026, as resilient world trade grappled with operational constraints and disruptions from the Iran war.
Revised data from carriers show July 2026 lifting totaled 17.3 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to Container Trade Statistics, setting a new monthly record roughly 25,000 TEUs above the previous high set in May 2026. Year-to-date global volumes through July are up 5.1% versus the same period in 2025, while July alone was 4.5% higher year over year.
Freight rates climb to two-year highs
The CTS Global Price Index rose to 115 points in July 2026, up 7 points month over month and marking a 47% increase since the start of the year. Compared with July 2025, the index is now 37% higher, with its steep upward trajectory beginning in February 2026 alongside the onset of the Persian Gulf crisis. The last time the index reached similar levels was August 2024, highlighting how market disruption is pushing freight rates higher even as volumes remain robust.
Through the first seven months of 2026, all major regions recorded year-to-date import growth except the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East, which fell 4.2%. Sub-Saharan Africa posted the strongest percentage gain at 14% year to date, driven in part by Asia-origin cargo, which added nearly 700,000 TEUs versus 2025. Imports from North America to Sub-Saharan Africa also rose almost 15% year to date, pointing to Africa’s expanding role in global container flows.
Europe’s imports were up 6.1% year to date, with Far East cargo contributing roughly 1.5 million additional TEUs compared with the prior year. One factor behind the Far East–Europe strength may be growing European demand for Chinese-manufactured vehicles, with some shipments shifting into containers amid capacity and cost pressures in traditional car-carrier services.
Export patterns reinforce Far East centrality
On the export side, the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East recorded the largest year-to-date decline at 8.5%, while Europe’s exports slipped 0.7%. Europe’s weaker export performance reflects limited growth to most destinations, though Sub-Saharan Africa was an exception; exports from Europe to the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East fell by more than 10% year to date, widening the gap between Europe’s strong imports and softer exports.
Asia posted the strongest export growth, up nearly 9% year to date — or almost 6 million additional TEUs—with gains to every destination region and particularly strong contributions from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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