Global container traffic in 2024 amounted to 183,158,193 teu, according to new data released by Container Trade Statistics (CTS), representing growth of 6.2% over 2023.
According to CTS figures, global volumes in December reached 16m teu, a 4.5% gain on November and a 6.6% year-on-year increase on December 2023.
“This marks December as the second-highest lifting month of the year, following August, which saw a record-breaking 16.1m teu…reflecting the overall strength as we close out the year,” said CTS. “December 2024 demonstrated resilience, maintaining strong volumes despite uncertainties in global trade.
“As we head into 2025, questions remain regarding potential route diversions and tariff increases.
“It will be crucial to observe how these factors influence global trade dynamics in the first quarter,” it added.
As per most of last year, the growth in volumes was largely driven by demand in North America: December Far East-North America traffic exceeded 2m teu, 8.6% growth on December 2023, while full-year volumes on the trade to both east and west coasts of North America reached 24.1m teu, 13.2% above 2023 and more than double the global rate.
Meanwhile, exports out of the Far East remained robust in December, posting a 5.3% month-on-month increase, to reach 9.8m teu.
“The strength in exports is primarily attributed to demand from North America and South and Central America,: said CTS.
“With political shifts in the US…and new trade policies potentially emerging, it will be interesting to monitor the resilience of Far East exports moving forward,” it noted.
It was also an unusually strong month for the Far East-Europe trades, with European imports from Asia amounting to 1.7m teu, a 10.4% year-on-year increase, and rounding off a year in which 18.3m teu was shipped from Asia to Europe, 11.9% up on 2023.
The CTS global price index, which records both contract and spot rates paid over the course of last year, “saw a modest increase of 2 points in December, continuing a steady upward trend since October, now standing at 96 points.
“Notably, the index is 25 points higher than it was in December 2023, yet 25 points lower than December 2022, highlighting ongoing market fluctuations and price adjustments,” CTS said.
There were some wild fluctuations between trades, however. The price index for Far East-Europe trade was at 128 in December, over double that of December 2023’s level of 62, while the Far East-North America price index for December was 42.3% higher than the year before.
And after trailing 2023 pricing for most of the year, the price index on the transatlantic headhaul Europe-North America route finished December some 37.4% higher than the year before.
