Shanghai remains world's busiest container port in H1 2026

According to the latest rankings from Alphaliner, China continues to dominate global container throughput. The Port of Shanghai maintained its position as the world's busiest port in the first half of 2026, handling 28.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), a 6.2% increase from the previous year.

Ningbo-Zhoushan rose to the second spot globally, overtaking Singapore. The Chinese port handled 22.9 million TEUs, marking an 8.8% year-on-year increase. Singapore, despite growing by 4.7% to 22.74 million TEUs, fell to third place.

Other notable movements in the top 10 include Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, and Tianjin holding the fourth through seventh positions. Busan ranked eighth, followed by Los Angeles/Long Beach in ninth, and Port Kelang in tenth.

Regional volatility has impacted other areas; container volumes in the Middle East have plummeted due to ongoing conflict, with Dubai’s Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Seaport both seeing contractions of over 50%.