Global container volume growth fell to its weakest pace since February, as rising trade in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America was offset by declining imports in the US and Europe. October volumes expanded 2.1 per cent year over year, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.

Container Trades Statistics said volumes in the first 10 months of 2025 were up 4.4 per cent compared with a year earlier. Drewry's Simon Heaney noted the slowdown pulled the 12-month rolling average to its lowest in 20 months.

Mr Heaney said regional trade growth is increasingly asymmetric, with the so-called Global South pulling ahead of Western economies. North American imports fell 6.7 per cent in October, while Asia-to-Europe exports dropped three per cent year on year.

US imports remain the biggest drag, with volumes projected to end 2025 down 1.4 per cent at 25.2 million TEU. Moody's Ratings warned US imports in 2026 could be flat to down two per cent compared with this year.

BIMCO forecasts global container volumes will expand 2.5 to 3.5 per cent in 2026, while 2025 volumes are expected to finish up 4.5 to 5.5 per cent from 2024.

Analyst John McCown said only two other periods have seen declines of this scale: the 2008-09 financial crisis and the spring of 2020 during the pandemic. He warned 2026 could be the worst performance year for volume growth he has seen.

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