A new benchmark for assessing the world’s most competitive container ports has been launched, adding fresh perspective to an industry long dominated by the World Bank–S&P Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI). The inaugural Leading Container Ports of the World (LCP) report—developed by DNV and Menon Economics, the team behind the well-known Leading Maritime Cities index—evaluates 160 ports across a wide set of performance metrics.
In its first edition, the LCP places Singapore firmly at the top of the global rankings, reinforcing the city-state’s reputation as a premier maritime hub. Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan follow closely, with Rotterdam and Busan rounding out the top five.
The new index draws on 35 indicators organised under five dimensions: enabling factors, connectivity and customer value, productivity, sustainability, and overall economic impact. These include measurable factors such as container throughput, berth efficiency, alternative fuel readiness and carbon emissions per TEU.
The report also highlights top performers by region, recognising New York–New Jersey, Hamburg, Tanger Med, Jebel Ali, and Sydney as regional leaders.
The launch of the LCP adds a new layer of insight to global port benchmarking, entering a space traditionally dominated by the World Bank’s CPPI, now in its fifth edition. The latest CPPI—released in September and covering 403 ports with data from more than 175,000 ship calls—ranked Shanghai as the world’s best-performing port. In a striking contrast to the LCP results, Singapore did not feature among the CPPI’s top 10.
