South Asia container trade with Europe continues to outpace the Middle East.

Container shipments in the combined eastbound Europe to the Middle East and South Asia trade performed well in the first quarter, rising by 5.2% year-on-year according to Container Trade Statistics. However, that aggregate rate hides two very different performances by the two destinations. CTS reports that inbound traffic to South Asia soared by 18% in 1Q18 to reach approximately 410,000 teu, whereas Middle East imports declined by 2% to land at about 590,000 teu.

The same divergent story continued into April as Europe to Middle East traffic was down by 1.6%, versus a 22.3% jump for South Asia imports.