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2 clusters · 3 sources · 1 days · First seen · Last updated

Global maritime container port throughput trends

Overview

Global container port activity shows divergent trends in the first half of 2026. In China, the Port of Shanghai maintained its status as the world’s busiest port, handling 28.7 million TEUs, a 6.2% increase from the previous year. Ningbo-Zhoushan rose to the second global position, overtaking Singapore, which fell to third place despite its own growth.

In contrast, container volumes in the Middle East experienced significant declines, with Dubai’s Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Seaport both seeing contractions of over 50% due to regional conflict.

In Europe, Swedish ports reported growth. Helsingborgs Hamn saw an increase in container handling and a six percent rise in total cargo handling, reaching 2.6 million tons between January and April. The Port of Gothenburg also reported strong flows, with growth driven by direct services to and from Asia and an increase in rail-connected volumes.

Entities

AXS Marine · Alphaliner · Port of Shanghai · Ningbo-Zhoushan Port · Helsingborgs Hamn

Timeline

  1. 20 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Shanghai remains world's busiest container port in H1 2026

    Shanghai remains the world's busiest container port for H1 2026, while China's Ningbo-Zhoushan moved to second place, surpassing Singapore in global throughput rankings.

  2. 20 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Swedish ports report growth in container and cargo volumes

    Swedish ports Helsingborgs Hamn and Gothenburg report rising container volumes and cargo growth in early 2026, driven by increased ferry traffic and direct Asian shipping routes.

Sources

port.helsingborg.se · portcalls.com · porttechnology.org