The latest Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) reveals that East and Southeast Asian ports excelled in 2023, securing 13 of the top 20 positions.
Developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, this fourth edition of the CPPI underscores how regional disruptions affected port performance worldwide.
The index is based on empirical and objective data focused exclusively on the time vessels spend in port.
The 2023 CPPI introduces 57 new ports, including Muuga Harbour in Estonia and the Port of Al Duqm in Oman, alongside several significant movers.
Notably, Visakhapatnam Port in India broke into the top 20. Despite a relatively lower ranking, Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam Port managed to reduce ship arrival times by 57%.
Conversely, some Middle Eastern ports in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar experienced declines from their previous high rankings.
China’s Yangshan Port retained the top spot for the second consecutive year, while Oman’s Port of Salalah held onto the number two position.
Colombia’s Port of Cartagena climbed to third place, Morocco’s Tanger-Mediterranean remained fourth, and Malaysia’s Tanjung Pelepas Port rounded out the top five.
The report also highlighted the absence of American ports in the top 50, with Charleston being the highest-ranked at 53rd.
South Africa’s ongoing struggles with port productivity were underscored, with two of its ports—Ngqura and Cape Town—ranking at the bottom of the index at 404th and 405th, respectively. Durban also performed poorly, ranking 398th.
Martin Humphreys, lead transport economist at the World Bank, commented on the volatility of the container shipping sector, stating, “Major ports need to invest in resilience, new technology, and green infrastructure to ensure the stability of global markets and the sustainability of the shipping industry.”
