BIMCO’s Container Shipping Market Overview and Outlook for June 2025 forecasts stable demand for the container shipping sector, despite uncertainties linked to new US trade policies. Chief shipping analyst Niels Rasmussen stated that the supply-demand balance is expected to weaken slightly in 2025 and 2026, as the forecast no longer includes a return to normal Red Sea and Suez Canal routings.
The global macroeconomic outlook remains uncertain. The IMF lowered its global growth forecasts in April to 2.8% for 2025 and 3.0% for 2026. North America's outlook has been reduced due to increased US import tariffs.
Despite the weaker economic environment, global cargo volumes rose 5.1% year-on-year during the first four months of 2025, driven partly by front-loading to the US. Four of seven global regions saw even faster growth. BIMCO revised North America’s import growth forecast to an average of 1.6% for 2025–2026, while raising expectations for Europe and the Mediterranean, where volumes rose 7.3%.