China ports overtake Singapore as Hormuz war reshapes global trade routes

Ningbo-Zhoushan handled 22.9 million TEUs in H1 2026, outpacing Singapore by 158,310 TEUs.

FP 2 Sep 2026 ·07:45

3 min read STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Singapore — Container ships rerouted from the Strait of Hormuz queue at Ningbo-Zhoushan, now the world’s second-busiest port.

THE ESSENTIALS

Ningbo-Zhoushan became the world’s second-busiest container port in H1 2026, surpassing Singapore by 158,310 TEUs.
Jebel Ali plunged from 10th to 32nd globally after Iran war disruptions slashed throughput by over 90% in Q2 2026.
China now holds six of the top 10 container ports, with Shanghai remaining the undisputed leader at 28.7 million TEUs.
The Strait of Hormuz closure in March 2026 forced carriers to reroute cargo, boosting Southeast Asian hubs like Tanjung Pelepas.

China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan has unseated Singapore as the world’s second-busiest container port, handling 22.9 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, a margin of just 158,310 boxes, while Dubai’s Jebel Ali plummeted from 10th to 32nd after its throughput collapsed by more than 90% amid chaos around the Strait of Hormuz. Shanghai retained its top spot, processing 28.7 million TEUs, a 6.2% year-on-year increase, according to data from Alphaliner. Meanwhile, Singapore’s throughput rose 4.7% to 22.7 million TEUs, leaving it narrowly behind its Chinese rival. The most dramatic fall came…

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