In September, Asia’s container exports to Europe reached 1.42 million TEUs, according to data from the Japan Maritime Center (JMC) based on Container Trades Statistics (CTS).
According to the Japan International Freight Forwarders Association (JIFFA), this marked a slight 0.3% decline year-on-year, the first such decrease in 19 months. However, exports remained stable compared to the previous month, which had shown strong performance.
From January to September, Asia exported a record 13.39 million TEUs to Europe, representing a 6.8% year-on-year increase. During the third quarter (July-September), exports totalled 4.64 million TEUs, also a new high.
By region of origin, China and Hong Kong contributed 1.09 million TEUs in September, up 0.6%, making them the only regions to post year-on-year growth and driving overall market performance. Exports from other Northeast Asian economies fell sharply by 19% to 129,018 TEUs, while Southeast Asia saw a robust increase of 11.2%, reaching 197,418 TEUs.
By destination, North Europe received 908,409 TEUs, up 4.3%; the Western Mediterranean received 252,314 TEUs, down 0.9%; and the Eastern Mediterranean saw a significant drop of 13.3%, with 254,687 TEUs.
On the import side, Asia’s container imports from Europe totalled 479,015 TEUs in September, down 10.9% year-on-year, marking the third consecutive monthly decline. Cumulative imports for January-September amounted to 4.72 million TEUs, down 0.9%, while those in the third quarter (July-September) reached 1.53 million TEUs, a 3.7% decrease.
By origin, imports from North Europe declined 11.6% to 333,610 TEUs; from the Western Mediterranean, they dropped 0.8% to 74,520 TEUs; and from the Eastern Mediterranean, imports fell 16.6% to 70,885 TEUs.
By destination, imports to China fell significantly by 17.3% to 224,985 TEUs, contributing to the overall decline in trade. Imports to other Northeast Asian economies edged up 0.5% to 111,833 TEUs, while those to Southeast Asia declined by 7.9% to 142,195 TEUs.