Source: UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport.

Containerized Cargo Flows along Major Trade Routes, 2007

Global containerized flows are characterized by acute imbalances mainly linked with a disconnect between the manufacturing of mass consumption goods of export-oriented economies and large consumption markets such as North America and Europe. The Asian segment is the one that has experienced the fastest growth while transatlantic containerized trade between Europe and North America has become comparatively a low volume market.