Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.6 million TEUs in September, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 6.6 percent from August, the busiest month of the year, and down 1.6 percent from September 2015.

Volume rebounded in October to an estimated 1.67 million TEUs, up 7.5 percent from last year. November is forecast at 1.54 million TEUs, up 4.4 percent from last year, and December at 1.5 million TEUs, up 4.5 percent.

Cargo volume for 2016 is expected to total 18.6 million TEUs, up 2.2 percent from last year. Total volume for 2015 was 18.2 million TEUs, up 5.4 percent from 2014. The first half of 2016 totaled 9 million TEUs, up 1.6 percent from the same period in 2015.

January 2017 is forecast at 1.54 million TEUs, up 3.6 percent from January 2016; February at 1.49 million TEUs, down 3.2 percent from last year, and March at 1.38 million TEUs, up 4.6 percent from last year.