BEIJING - Global container throughput will increase at a slower pace in 2012 due to economic woes, while China's container throughput is expected to register mild growth, according to a report published Thursday.

Container throughput volumes at China's major ports will continue to rise, but the growth is expected to slow from the breakneck pace notched last year, according to a report published by the Center for Forecasting Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"Global container throughput volumes will fall this year because of the economic downturn, and the shipping market outlook remains bleak," said Wang Shouyang, director of the center.

The report forecast that Dalian will see the fastest growth rate for throughput volume in the world's top 20 ports, marking a 24-percent rise year on year.

Shanghai will remain the world's busiest container port in 2012, as total throughput will reach 33.2-33.6 million twenty-feet equivalent units (TEUs), up 4.9-6.2 percent from one year earlier.

Tianjin will be among the world's top 10 ports, and half of the top 20 ports will be Chinese ports this year.

Container throughput is a gauge of a port's importance in international trade and a key barometer for global economics and trade.