Asian countries on a port course. Shanghai and Singapore in the lead.

This once again confirms that seaports are the leading points connecting global economies through trade routes. Seaports clearly reflect which economies dominate the global economy. They highlight the dominance of some and the dependence of others on logistics and efficient supply chains for industrial and consumer products.

Seaports reveal who is implementing consistent economic strategies and who is constantly rewriting them. Who is building economies based on innovation, and who is importing these innovations. The latest port rankings once again demonstrate that Asian ports dominate in maintaining efficient logistics for bulk cargo and goods for industrial and consumer markets.

Seaports clearly illustrate the pace of change in global logistics efficiency. Shanghai continues to lead the world in container handling. In its terminals, between quays and container ships, cranes moved 51.51 million TEU in 2025.

Singapore is benefiting from the Chinese economy’s activity, with 41.12 million TEUs moved in the same year. Ningbo-Zhoushan benefited from the activity of its industrial base and the dynamics of its active manufacturing clusters, recording 39.30 million TEUs of transshipment. The Port of Qingdao, fueled by neighboring special economic zones, already exceeded 30 million TEUs on November 26th of last year.

Qingdao’s terminals had already transshipped over 700 million tons in 2025 by early December, achieving the record set in 2024. Qingdao has been consolidating its position as a leading international transshipment hub in Northeast Asia for over a decade. In 2025, liner operators launched 20 new container connections from Qingdao. This expanded the maritime service network to nearly 240 connections. Ships now deliver goods from this industrial region to over 700 ports in over 180 countries, reports China Daily.

A total of 60% of container connections from the Port of Qingdao serve economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. China calls this port the “Golden Gate” for trade between China and emerging markets. Terminals operating in Qingdao connect 54 inland ports. Goods also arrive via a network of 86 intermodal connections.

For several years, the Port of Qingdao has been developing the Automated Terminal Operating System (A-TOS). The port has advanced the automation of traditional terminals, implementing key technologies for loading and unloading automation, achieving full automation and comprehensive operation of all equipment. Processes for handling containers, pulp, iron ore, and grain are being automated.

China Sets Records
In 2025, China handled 18.34 billion tons of cargo (3.4% more than in 2024), including 5.7 billion tons of foreign trade. This result was largely driven by containerized cargo, with transshipment reaching 350 million TEU. The supply of containerized goods was dominated by Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

Chinese ports achieved record results in 2025. This clearly underscores the dominance of Chinese manufacturing clusters in the global market. The continued connectivity of economic centers with markets is also a result of improving the entire logistics system, both domestic and international.

Despite the disruptions on major trade routes, sea-land logistics chains are highly flexible, and operators are quickly adapting delivery routes. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, logistics operators, bulk fleet managers, and oil and gas tanker operators have been responding quickly to disruptions. Container supply growth in China reached 6.8% year-on-year in 2025.

Shanghai, with 55.1 million TEUs, took the top spot for the 16th consecutive year. The Port of Shanghai is one of the world’s ports with the highest cargo throughput and the busiest port in China. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the port covers an area of ​​approximately 3,620 square kilometers. It offers 125 quays with a total length of 18 kilometers. On average, over 2,000 containers are handled monthly, accounting for a quarter of China’s foreign trade.

The port handles goods with an average daily import and export value of 29.8 billion yuan (approximately $4 billion), according to data from the Shanghai Customs Service. This equates to about 1.24 billion yuan per hour, Daily CPEC journalists calculated. Recent investments in advanced technologies have significantly increased the efficiency of terminals at the Port of Shanghai.

Automation Drives Business
The Yangshan Phase IV Automated Terminal, which began operations in 2017, played a key role in helping the Port of Shanghai surpass 40 million TEUs in cargo throughput. The terminal reduced staffing by 70% while simultaneously increasing productivity by 30%. This resulted in a labor productivity per employee of 213% compared to traditional terminals.

Operators at the Ningbo-Zhoushan automated container terminals moved 43 million TEUs. However, the port retained its position as the world’s largest port in terms of cargo tonnage handled. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled over 1.4 billion tons of cargo in 2025, ranking first globally for the 17th consecutive year. Annual container throughput of 43 million TEUs places the port in third place globally, China Media Group reported in February of this year.

This multi-purpose port boasts nearly 200 quays, nearly 40 of which can accommodate vessels over 10,000 tons deadweight. It houses a crude oil terminal dedicated to supertankers over 250,000 tons deadweight and bulk ore carriers over 200,000 tons deadweight. It also houses a 50,000-ton liquid chemicals terminal and a terminal dedicated to sixth-generation container ships.

The Port of Shenzhen handled 33.16 million TEU of foreign trade containers in 2025, according to the Shenzhen Customs Service. This represents a 6.41% year-on-year increase. This is a record result, reports the local news portal “Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.” The Port of Shenzhen provides the economic zone with 295 connections to leading markets. International liner services provide cargo transportation to over 300 ports in over 100 countries.

The port is located south of the Pearl River Delta in China’s Guangdong Province. It comprises a group of ports along the Shenzhen coast. Port services are provided along a 260-kilometer-long coastline. The port has an annual throughput of approximately 195 million tons. It is home to 40 operating companies and several hundred freight forwarders and agents. The port is connected to the global market via approximately 230 international container services. Container transshipment and maritime connections to major markets are the most numerous among seaports operating in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay region, according to a report by the Port of Shenzhen.

Żródło: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)

Singapore Among China’s Tigers
Alongside China’s leading ports, Singapore occupies a significant place on the global maritime logistics map. The Port of Singapore Authority is making excellent use of its location at the crossroads of key maritime communication routes.

“Singapore has once again achieved record results in 2025,” announced Murali Pillai, Minister of State for Law and Transport, who was the Guest of Honor at the annual Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations in January 2026.

There was every reason to declare success, as Singapore received a total of 3.22 billion GT of ships (3.5% more than in 2024). As a result, 44.66 million TEU of containers were handled at its container terminals in 2025, an 8.6% increase compared to 2024. Ship bunkering is a significant part of the Port of Singapore Authority’s activity and revenue.

Marine fuel sales reached a new record. In 2025, ships purchased 56.77 million tons of bunker in Singapore. This represents a 3.4% increase in sales compared to 2024. In 2025, there was a noticeable increase in demand for alternative fuel bunkering. Purchases of these fuels increased to 1.95 million tons, compared to 1.35 million tons accepted by ships in 2024.

The Port of Singapore Authority emphasized in a press release that it “has been recognized as the world’s leading container port in DNV-Menon’s inaugural ‘World’s Leading Container Ports’ report.” This is the fourth time Singapore has been named the World’s Best Seaport and the 37th time it has been named the Best Seaport in Asia. These nominations were announced at the 2025 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards.