European high pushes up box index
The seasonally-adjusted estimate of the container throughput index published by the two German research bodies RWI and ISL for April rose by 2.4 to 127.1 points. The European ports assessed in the ‘Northern Range Index’ contributed significantly, with the latter rising by 3.5 to 120.4 points.
The index, published by the RWI – Leibniz institute for economic research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), rose from 124.7 (revised figure) to 127.1 points, which represents the second time in succession that it moved substantially upwards.
The ‘Northern Range Index’, in turn, increased from 116.9 (revised figure) to 120.4 points, probably also on account of the relaxation of anti-Covid-19 lockdowns. Throughput in Chinese ports remained stable month on month.