The partnership that has been producing the Leading Maritime Cities of the World index over the past decade has turned its attention to container ports, providing a rival index to the one compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global.

DNV and Menon Economics have crowned Singapore as the world’s leading container port in the first edition of the Leading Container Ports of the World (LCP) report to go alongside many other maritime hub accolades the Southeast Asian nation has been bestowed with this year. Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan follow in second and third place, with Rotterdam and Busan completing the global top five.

The LCP report benchmarks 160 ports against 35 indicators grouped into five pillars: enablers, connectivity and customer value, productivity, sustainability, and overall impact. These indicators are based on objective data, such as throughput volumes, berth productivity, emissions per teu, and alternative fuel availability.

Dr Erik Jakobsen, chair of Menon Economics, commented: “The top-performing container ports are both expanding capacity and rethinking how technology shapes daily operations. We see ports where automation and digital tools are woven into every process, from vessel scheduling to cargo handling. Investments in cleaner energy and integrated transport links are also making a difference, helping ports operate more efficiently and adapt to new demands.”

In addition to the global ranking, the LCP report features regional rankings, with New York & New Jersey, Hamburg, Tanger Med, Jebel Ali and Sydney recognised as leaders in their respective regions.

The fifth edition of the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), published in September, offers a global benchmark of 403 container ports worldwide, utilising a dataset that includes more than 175,000 vessel calls and 247m container moves with a focus on total vessel time in port. In that report, Shanghai came out on top with Singapore not registering in the top 10.