The global container market in 2025 was resilient, as shippers and terminal operators adapted to a shifting economic and geopolitical landscape.

Key highlights include the following:
-- Container terminal volumes are expected to be supported by the largely resilient global demand and a mature shipping industry that continues to adapt and evolve, despite increasing trade tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty.
-- Commodity terminals are expected to have stable revenues backed by contracted cash flows and long-term integration with customer infrastructure.
-- Beyond optimizing trade routes, shippers are looking to vertically integrate with ports for greater synergies and strategic reasons.
-- While some geopolitical conflicts have eased, we note the potential for other conflicts to impact regional trade flows. 
-- Energy security has become as central as energy transition, driving the development of LNG terminals in Europe.

“The U.S. trade tariff negotiations brought about a temporary front-loading window for imports from China; however, container volumes in major U.S. ports declined toward the end of the year,” said Suneil Ramesh, Senior Vice President, European Asset Finance at Morningstar DBRS. “We expect volume growth over the medium term to be negatively impacted as a consequence of the in-place tariffs, and the general trend in usage of trade tariffs.”

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Source, Morningstar DBRS