Alphaliner: Global Container Volumes Grow by 7.7% in Third Quarter

Port volumes recorded a 7.7% rise in aggregate throughput in the quarter ended September 30, growing at their fastest pace since 2011, according to Alphaliner.

Through its survey, which covers more than 200 ports that account for over 75% of global container volumes, Alphaliner saw that the strong third-quarter growth figures surpassed the growth rates of the previous two quarters, which stood at 7.4% and 5.8%, respectively.

Full year growth estimate for 2017 has thus been adjusted upwards to 6.4%.

All regions posted improved year-on-year growth, led by Latin American ports which recorded the highest growth rate of 10% in the third quarter. The strong volumes recovery could lead to a major revamp of Asia-South America services in the coming months.

Mexican ports led the way with growth reaching 15.2% during the period, with notable gains in Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, Veracrus and Altamira, while ports in Panama recorded an 11.1% gain.