Quarter Three 2025: Tracking Towards a Record-Breaking Year
Revised figures for August 2025 now show global liftings at 16.8 million TEUs, marking the highest monthly volume ever recorded in the CTS database. This new record surpasses the 2nd previous high set in July 2025 by more than 220,000 TEUs.
As expected, September 2025 volumes eased month on month, falling 5.6% from August’s exceptional levels. Despite this decline, global volumes for September still reached a solid 15.86 million TEUs, representing a 5% increase compared with September 2024. This brings the third quarter of 2025 to a close with a remarkable 49.23 million TEUs, making it the highest quarterly total ever recorded in the CTS database. Q3 2025 also reflects a 4.7% increase on the same period in 2024.
The Global Price Index fell a further 5 points in September, now standing at 76 points. At this time last year the index measured 104 points, while in September 2023 it stood at a similar level of 72 points. These fluctuations highlight the degree of volatility present in the market over just a two-year window.
Across The Board Export Growth
Exports across all regions grew in Q3 2025 compared with Q3 2024 apart from Europe, which remained level vs 2024. The Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East led the way with a 9.2% increase, adding over 300k TEU vs LY on this trade. In percentage terms, Sub-Saharan Africa ranked second, up 6.8%, continuing the strong momentum seen in these fast-emerging trade lanes. These regions have absorbed cargo lost from the weakening Far East–North America trade, which has been affected by broader economic shifts.
Both the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa benefitted from significant volumes moving towards Europe and the Far East. Unsurprisingly, when measured in absolute TEUs, the Far East remains the dominant driver, increasing to 30.6 million TEUs (+1.7m) compared with Q3 2024.
All But One: Import Surges
Imports grew across all regions in Q3 2025 except North America, which recorded a 5.2% decline versus Q3 2024. The only export region to North America showing significant growth was the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East, increasing by just over 4%, (+23k) and Sub Saharan Africa +20%, (+9k) on the same period.
In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa experienced an extraordinary 22.7% increase in imports compared with Q3 2024. This surge was driven largely by inflows from the Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East, the Far East, and North America. The Far East itself recorded a modest 2.8% increase in imports for the quarter, further demonstrating the region’s current imbalance between import and export flows.
Records On The Horizon?
The first nine months of 2025 have been exceptionally strong, with global volumes up 4.7% year to date despite the already heightened levels seen in 2024. While September saw a month-on-month decline, volumes remain historically high. In fact, every month of 2025 so far has exceeded the all-time lifting record for that specific month, a remarkable trend given the economic uncertainty earlier in the year.
Emerging trade lanes have played a significant role in shifting global patterns, absorbing cargo previously bound for North America and redistributing it across other growing regions. This has allowed the Far East to maintain its momentum and continue supporting the wider global uptick.
As we move into the final quarter of 2025, all eyes will be on whether the market can maintain even a fraction of this year’s exceptional performance. Regardless of what comes next, 2025 is firmly on track to become a record-breaking year.
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