Containers are up by +1% this week; air cargo is down by -1%
Dear colleagues and interested parties
We are sharing the latest version of the cargo report.
The following highlights are worth noting:
- DGT data, operations & performance:
- Encouragingly, DGT shared volume data for the first time since its formation, with throughput currently trending +9% (y/y) – indicating a more constructive medium-term trajectory despite recent operational pressures.
- For the week, DGT handled 32,222 TEUs, averaging 4,603 TEUs per day and declining by -4% (w/w); estimated waterside volumes nevertheless increased by +16%, although remaining 14% below the comparable target.
- Operational performance remained constrained by congestion and the Navis system upgrade, with average anchorage time rising from 80 to 166 hours and berth time increasing to 116 hours. Six container vessels were waiting for DGT during the week.
- Positively, Durban’s queue-to-berth ratio improved further to 0.78. The next step is to integrate DGT and confidential transporter data across the full container journey to identify pressure points and support targeted interventions.
- Global merchandise trade:
- World merchandise trade remained resilient in Q1 2026, with volumes increasing by +1.9% (q/q) and +3.2% (y/y); in value terms, trade rose by +2% (q/q) and +11% (y/y).
- Growth was driven disproportionately by AI-enabling goods, whose dollar value expanded by more than +40% (y/y), supporting particularly strong trade growth in Asia.
- Regional performance remained uneven: Middle Eastern export and import volumes declined by -9.7% and -11.9%, respectively, while Africa’s export volumes fell by -2.5% (q/q).
- Despite weaker African volumes, the value of the continent’s merchandise exports and imports increased by +14% and +15% (y/y). The WTO expects the effects of Strait of Hormuz disruptions to become more evident in second-quarter data.
