- Global container shipping reached 17.3 million TEU in July 2026, around 25,000 TEU above the previous record set in May. This was up 4.5% compared with the same month last year, while volumes grew by 5.1% in the first seven months of the year.
- The global freight rate index compiled by CTS rose to 115 points in July, seven points higher than in June: up 47% since the start of 2026 and 37% compared with July 2025, its highest level since August 2024. The increase began in February, coinciding with the worsening crisis in the Persian Gulf and the war with Iran.
- US ports monitored by the Global Port Tracker are expected to handle 2.31 million TEU of imports in September, up 9.6% on 2025 and making it the busiest month of the year. Meanwhile, Drewry has recorded 47 cancelled sailings on major East-West routes between 7 September and 11 October, out of 729 scheduled departures.
Global container traffic set a new monthly record in July 2026, with 17.3 million TEU handled, around 25,000 TEU above the previous record set in May 2026, according to Container Trades Statistics. Volumes were up 4.5% compared with July 2025, while the total for the first seven months of the year rose 5.1% year on year. Freight rates, however, have increased much more rapidly. The global index, also compiled by CTS, closed July at 115 points, seven points higher than in June, representing an increase of 47% since the start of the year and 37% compared with July 2025, levels not seen since August 2024. The acceleration began in February as the crisis in the Persian Gulf and the war with Iran intensified, prompting several shipping lines to announce fuel surcharges because of risks associated with the Strait of Hormuz. The gap between the 5.1% increase in volumes and the 47% rise in the index indicates that prices are mainly reflecting a supply-side shock: diversions, lower fleet productivity, higher fuel consumption and imbalances in the allocation of containers and vessel capacity.
Traffic growth is not uniform. On the import side, Sub-Saharan Africa leads with growth of 14% since the start of the year, supported by nearly 700,000 additional TEU from Asia compared with 2025 and by North American volumes that have risen by almost 15%. Europe follows with growth of 6.1%, including around 1.5 million additional TEU originating in the Far East. The only importing region to record a decline is the Indian subcontinent and Middle East, down 4.2%. The picture is reversed for exports: the Far East is approaching 9% growth and is driving the market, while Europe is down 0.7% and the Indian subcontinent-Middle East region has fallen 8.5%. One factor affecting the Asia-Europe trade is the growing number of Chinese-made vehicles being shipped in containers because of capacity constraints and rising freight rates in the car carrier sector.
In the United States, a seasonal peak is emerging that has not ended as expected. The Global Port Tracker released on 9 September by National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates estimates that the main US container terminals will handle 2.31 million TEU of imports in September, up 9.6% compared with September 2025 and slightly above July's 2.30 million, making it the busiest month of 2026. August is estimated at 2.29 million TEU, down 1.3%. "We thought the peak was now largely behind us, but that is not the case," said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice-president for supply chain and customs policy. Part of the shift, he explained, is due to vessel delays caused by bad weather in China and some diversions away from the Panama Canal because of concerns over drought, while the remainder reflects resilient retail sales, as consumers continue to spend despite tariffs, inflation and high fuel prices, and retailers continue to replenish their networks.
After September, forecasts point to a gradual slowdown: October at 2.11 million TEU, up 1.7%; November at 2 million, down 0.9%; December at 2.03 million, up 1.1%; and January 2027 at 2.09 million, up 1%. The year would therefore close at 25.7 million TEU, up 1% from 25.4 million in 2025, after the first half had already reached 12.7 million TEU, up 1.1%. A month ago, the full-year forecast stood at 25.5 million TEU.
Against this backdrop, shipping lines continue to manage capacity tightly. Drewry's survey of cancelled containership sailings, updated on 4 September 2026, recorded 47 cancellations on the main East-West trades between week 37, from 7 to 13 September, and week 41, from 5 to 11 October, out of 729 scheduled sailings. The 28 August survey recorded 45 cancellations over the five weeks to 4 October, while the 21 August survey reported 49 through to 27 September. In each case, cancellations accounted for 6% of scheduled sailings, down from the 8% recorded at the end of July, when 57 of 726 sailings were cancelled. The eastbound transpacific remains the main focus of the cuts, accounting for 60% of cancellations in the late-August survey, followed by the Asia-North Europe and Mediterranean routes at 21%, and the transatlantic at 19%.
M.G.
