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


These were carried by containers (96.2% of global container movement), dry bulk ships (7.7%), and other commercial transport vessels (9.2 million).

In September, international freight shipment numbers increased for the third month in a row. Monthly data had turned positive for only the second time in nearly 15 years, according to the IMO. The other occasion occurred in February of 2014.

Year-to-date international freight numbers were 290.3 million, down 7.7% from the same period last year, according to the data.

As the volume of container cargo has increased, forwarders have benefited.