China gains as geopolitics redraws new global container port rankings

The global container-port hierarchy shifted sharply in the first half of 2026, with Ningbo-Zhoushan overtaking Singapore for second place and Port Klang, Malaysia entering the top 10. The biggest reversal occurred in the Middle East, where Dubai’s Jebel Ali fell from 10th to 32nd as disruptions from the Iran war around the Strait of Hormuz diverted cargo and forced carriers to redesign their networks. China’s Shanghai remained the world’s busiest container port, handling about 28.7 million container units in the first six months of 2026, a 6.2% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to Alphaliner. Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 22.9 million TEUs, up 8.8%, narrowly passing Singapore, which processed approximately 22.7 million TEUs, up 4.7%. The gains come as China finds new markets for exports despite attempts by the Trump administration to blunt Beijing’s economic dominance through trade and tariff policy. The margin was only 158,310 TEUs, making the contest for second place highly vulnerable to normal seasonal swings during the rest of the year. Ningbo-Zhoushan’s first-half performance nevertheless marked the first time it had ranked ahead of Singapore over a six-month period. China held six of the top 10 positions. Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou and Tianjin ranked fourth through seventh, followed by Busan in eighth, the combined Los Angeles-Long Beach U.S. gateway in ninth and Malaysia’s Port Klang in 10th. The latest reshuffling builds on China’s strong full-year performance in 2025. Shanghai handled a record 55.06 million TEUs, while Singapore processed 44.66 million and Ningbo-Zhoushan reached 43.87 million. Ningbo’s 11.6% growth was the strongest among the three leading ports. No port experienced a more dramatic reversal than Jebel Ali. The Dubai hub handled only 3.14 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, less than half the 7.77 million TEUs recorded in the first half of 2025. The decline accelerated in the second quarter, when throughput fell more than 90% year over year to just 374,000 TEUs. The port consequently dropped from 10th place in the global rankings at the end of 2025 to 32nd in Alphaliner’s half-year assessment. Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa port also suffered an estimated decline of at least 50% and fell out of the global top 50. The immediate cause was the disruption surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway was nearly closed in March, followed by only a partial and unstable reopening in June. Carriers reduced or altered calls in the Persian Gulf, while shippers sought alternative routes and relay points. The Middle East disruption is part of a broader reorganization of relay traffic. In 2025, cargo moving through transshipment hubs shifted toward southeast Asia as carriers continued to avoid the Red Sea and route more vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. That helped Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tanjung Pelepas recorded the fastest growth among the leading ports, increasing throughput 14.5%, or nearly 1.8 million TEUs, and rising from 16th to 13th place. Singapore grew 8.6%, while Colombo increased 6.5%. Alphaliner estimated that throughput at the world’s leading container ports rose 5.2% in 2025, compared with 4.7% growth in the broader container trade. The difference reflected rerouting, network disruption and additional handling as cargo was transferred through different hubs. Other ports also advanced in the first half of 2026. Colombo climbed from 26th to 20th, India’s Nhava Sheva rose from 28th to 21st and Jakarta, Indonesia moved from 27th to 23rd. By contrast, Germany’s Hamburg slipped from 23rd to 27th, Kaohsiung of South Korea fell from 22nd to 24th and India’s Mundra declined from 24th to 26th. In 2025, the world’s top 20 container ports handled nearly 450 million TEUs, an increase of roughly 5% to 6%. Fifteen were in Asia, while China accounted for nine of the top 20. The top 10 remained unchanged on a full-year basis, but the pace of growth varied sharply among individual ports. U.S. and European gateways remain important, but their presence near the top of the global volume table is narrowing. The combined LA-Long Beach gateway was the only non-Asian port in the first-half top 10. The Port of New York and New Jersey handled about 4.4 million TEUs and fell one position to 22nd. Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here . Read more: Drewry index edges lower on decline in trans-Pacific rates DP World reportedly shutting down SeaRates digital freight platform Ocean rate concerns as orders for new container ships near 40% of global fleet Port of Oakland: Steady July amid import drop New return: Another container line is back in the Red Sea Upcoming FreightWaves Events Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now Awards F3 Awards Dinner The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals. October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry. The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room. The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals. The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now Stuart Chirls Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.