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The amount of container traffic handled by ports or terminals over a period.
Save conceptContainer throughput measures the volume of containers handled by a port or terminal during a period. It is usually reported in twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs: a standard twenty-foot container counts as one TEU and a forty-foot container as two. This makes different container sizes comparable, but it does not measure the value of their contents.
The count reflects port handling activity, including the categories covered by that port's statistics. It may include loaded and empty containers and containers transferred between ships. Transshipment can involve more than one handling at the same port. Consequently, throughput does not necessarily equal the number of unique consignments imported for domestic use or exported by local producers.
Suppose a terminal handles 1,000 twenty-foot containers and 500 forty-foot containers. Its simplified throughput is 1,000 plus 500 times two, or 2,000 TEUs. If 300 of those TEUs are empty, the total still says something about handling activity but less about goods carried. If some containers are transshipped, they may serve overseas trade rather than local demand.
Throughput differs from a ship's carrying capacity, the weight of cargo and customs trade values. A busy hub can handle large volumes without the host economy buying those goods. When comparing ports or years, check treatment of empty containers and transshipment, the reporting period and any methodological changes. Higher throughput alone cannot establish higher port profits or productivity.
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