Singapore overtaken by Ningbo-Zhoushan as second busiest container port in H1
But the H2 figure is still to come, and the lead is too small to say for sure that Singapore is down...
Singapore's position as the second busiest container port in the world dipped to third in the first half of this year, following a surge in activity at Ningbo-Zhoushan, China. Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 22.9 million TEUs, a 8.8 per cent increase year on year, edging out Singapore's 22.7 million TEUs. Shanghai maintained its top spot with 28.7 million TEUs, up 6.2 per cent.
Analyst Tan Hua Joo attributed Ningbo-Zhoushan's growth to its major capacity expansion, allowing it to handle higher volumes. However, competition among Southeast Asian ports, including Haiphong, Cai Mep, and Tanjung Pelepas, also contributed to Singapore's drop. The gap between the two ports was only 158,310 TEUs, a negligible difference in the context of Ningbo-Zhoushan's scale.
Full-year rankings will depend on performance in the second half, particularly cargo flows. In 2025, Singapore recorded a record 44.7 million TEUs, while Ningbo-Zhoushan reached its highest throughput of over 43 million TEUs. External factors such as China's export season, European and North American inventory replenishment, US trade policy shifts, and recovery of Suez Canal transits may impact both ports' performance.
Meanwhile, Dubai's Jebel Ali port experienced a significant drop from 10th to 32nd place globally, with container throughput reducing from 7.8 million TEUs to 3.1 million TEUs due to the Middle East war.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
