Chinese ports maintained their leadership in global efficiency ratings for 2025, as reported by a research paper from the World Bank and S&P Global published on Wednesday. Seven Chinese trading centers were listed among the top ten.
The newest version of the yearly report is released during a period where ports have become even more critical to the worldwide economy, with infrastructure working hard to manage significant disturbances in international supply networks following the consequences of the Red Sea incident and the continuing effects of the U.S.-Israel conflict involving Iran.
Introduced in 2020, the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) evaluates the effectiveness of over 400 global ports by assessing the typical duration ships remain at each trading center, since extended handling times suggest a greater likelihood of disruptions and logistics challenges.
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Last year, China's ports continued to showcase high levels of efficiency, with Fuzhou from the southeast Fujian region taking first position, Dalian in northern China coming in second, and Oman's Salalah Port securing third place. Hong Kong ranked ninth.
Port facilities in Eastern and Southern Asia continue to be among the best globally because of various reasons, such as the areas' strong focus on exports - fierce rivalry between ports, and - strong competition among ports, and - heated contest among port facilities, and - vigorous conflict between maritime terminals, and - competitive struggle among shipping hubs, and - tough confrontations at different ports, and - high-level contention between port authorities, and - robust rivalries within the port sector, and - escalating disputes among port operators, and - significant clashes between competing ports, and sustained investment in infrastructure as stated in the report.
A notable instance of how Asian ports have managed to adapt was demonstrated by Ningbo, located in China's eastern Zhejiang Province. changing pressures on international supply chains , with the facility capable of ensuring consistent vessel turn-around times thanks to its strong capabilities, automation, and disciplined operations, the report stated.
However, the Middle East saw a decline in efficiency due to scheduling issues caused by the Red Sea crisis, highlighting how even highly developed ports can be affected by political conflicts, it noted.
The performance of Western trading centers varied. Although North American and European ports kept recovering from issues caused by the pandemic, they still faced underlying weaknesses such as unexpected overcrowding, workforce limitations, and challenges in inland logistics, according to the study.
Specifically, ports are increasingly susceptible to "burst congestion," defined as brief but severe traffic jams resulting from an abrupt rise in ship arrivals instead of a gradual increase, according to the report.
If this kind of grouping happens, delays can increase quickly even at very sophisticated checkpoints, as highlighted in the study, with this weakness made worse by limitations on the land side.
As a result, this could create a feedback cycle, the report cautioned. Disruptions in the supply chain cause pile-ups at ports and subsequently, port congestion impacts the general reliability of international trade systems.
It is crucial to grasp this mutual connection," stated Bertrand de la Borde, global head of transportation and logistics at the World Bank. "Ports are not merely affected by outside disturbances; they actively influence how these disturbances spread. They have the potential to increase interruptions or assist in limiting their impact.
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The article was first published on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top-tier news outlet covering developments in China and Asia.
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