Sector development

In view of the geopolitical conflicts, trade policy tensions and cyclical uncertainties, global container traffic momentum has been more robust than expected over the past few years. According to Drewry, 2026 also began surprisingly well. The world’s container ports recorded throughput growth of 3.7 % in the first quarter of 2026. Key drivers included shipments brought forward in anticipation of expected tariff and cost hikes, as well as consistently high demand for electronic products and AI-related components. At the same time, however, the market became significantly more volatile in the wake of the Middle East conflict. According to Drewry’s latest estimates, global container throughput growth slowed to 2.0 % in the second quarter of 2026. The volatile trend in demand and the ongoing disruption to liner services caused by the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz increased the complexity of operations at ports. This led to longer vessel dwell times, increased waiting times and lower throughput productivity.

Container throughput in Europe rose by 2.8 % in the first quarter of 2026 – although this represented a noticeable drop in growth momentum relative to the preceding quarters. Drewry forecasts far more substantial growth of 6.1 % for the second quarter of 2026. Significant momentum is expected above all from the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea shipping routes, as well as the Scandinavian and Baltic regions. By contrast, the trend in North-West Europe remained subdued. Following a rise of just 0.8 % in container volumes in the first quarter, Drewry anticipates a decline of 1.6 % in the second quarter.

The throughput figures for the North Range ports reported so far by port authorities and operating companies generally confirm Drewry’s regional development forecast, albeit with differences in the momentum of individual locations. With a slight decline of 0.1% to 7.0 million TEU in the first six months of 2026, throughput at Europe’s largest container port, Rotterdam, was virtually unchanged from the previous year. Over the same period, throughput at the port of Antwerp-Bruges was down 1.5 % to 6.8 million TEU.

At the time of reporting, full half-year data was not yet available for the ports in the German Bight. The Port of Hamburg recorded a decline in volumes of 1.6 % to 2.0 million TEU for the first quarter of 2026. Container volumes at the Bremen ports rose by 5.4 % between January and April 2026 to 1.7 million TEU, buoyed by shifts in traffic due to the realignment of shipping alliances. At the JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven, the strong growth seen since the entry of Hapag-Lloyd continued. Container volumes there increased by 60.7% to 440 thousand TEU in the first quarter of 2026.