Shanghai still port No 1, Singapore holds on to No 2: Alphaliner

Shanghai port continued to lead the top 20 port rankings at the end of the first half of 2022 with 22.5 million TEUs handled, a decline of 2 percent, according to data published by Alphaliner.

There were minor changes in the top 10 rankings - Singapore, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzen, Qingdao (5th in 20222, 6th in 2021), Guangzhou (6th in 2022, 5th in 2021), Busan, Tianjin, LA/LB and Hong Kong.

"Booming transpacific volumes have brought half-year throughput at China's second largest port Ningbo-Zhoushan to within 1 Mteu of Singapore, the number two ranked port globally."

While Singapore handled 18.4 million TEUs, a drop of 2 percent, Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 17.5 million TEUs, an increase of 9 percent. "Ningbo-Zhoushan even overtook Singapore in Q2 though figures were boosted by the Shanghai lockdowns in April & May."

Ningbo-Zhoushan has benefited from restrictions at its lockdown-hit neighbour Shanghai with many carriers diverting ships to avoid delays & trucking issues, the report said.

The ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, which was ranked 9th, handled 10.4 million TEUs in the first half of 2022, an increase of over 2 percent.