SIMIC

GLOBAL ports have reported a decrease in its consolidated marine container throughput during the first quarter of 2023, with a total of 186,000 TEU, which represents a 48.8 per cent drop compared to the same period in the previous year, reports London's Port Technology.
The decrease is attributed to the high base effect of the first two months of 2022.
But the figure also showed a four per cent increase compared to the previous quarter, indicating a gradual recovery in the container supply chain.
The Russian container market also suffered a significant decline of 16 per cent compared to Q1 2022, with total marine container throughput of Russian ports amounting to 1.09 million TEU compared to 1.3 million TEU in the first quarter of the previous year.
Nonetheless, the market increased 8.4 per cent compared to the previous quarter, as direct vessel calls at Baltic ports continued to increase, and there was a strong demand in both Far Eastern and south basins.
To offset the decline in the container market in the Baltics, Global ports increased its consolidated bulk cargo throughput 133.4 per cent to 1.2 million tonnes.
Although the decline in the container market occurred, Global ports is optimistic about the future, expecting a gradual recovery of the market in the second half of 2023, following the end of the high base effect and the normalisation of the supply chain.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine had a significant impact on the supply chain, particularly in the war zone, where transportation safety is the top concern.