In July, there were 186 million international freight shipments, according to the most recent International Maritime Organization data.


Containers (96.2% of global container movement), dry bulk ships (7.7%), and other commercial transport vessels carried these (9.2 million).

For the third month in a row, international freight shipment numbers increased in September. According to the IMO, monthly data had turned positive for only the second time in nearly 15 years. The second occurrence occurred in February of 2014.

According to the data, year-to-date international freight numbers were 290.3 million, a 7.7% decrease from the same period last year.

Forwarders have benefited as the volume of container cargo has increased.