Gulf crisis sees Jebel Ali crash out of top 30 box port ranks after 20 years

Global port congestion keeping 1.7m teu of capacity out of the market Persistent port congestion is effectively removing 1.7m teu of container shipping capacity from the global ... WTC: FOCUS ON SAVINGS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTSWTC: EARNINGS UPDATE VW: CRISIS UPDATEVW: LOOKING AHEADMAERSK: CATCHING UP RXO: SPOT RATES STRENGTHWTC: AHEAD OF EARNINGS CHRW: LACK OF MOMENTUM JBHT: HEALTHY CORRECTION VW: NEW AI PARTNERSHIPKNIN: RIP KMKMAERSK: ANOTHER UPGRADE DSV: STILL DOWN WTC: FOCUS ON SAVINGS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTSWTC: EARNINGS UPDATE VW: CRISIS UPDATEVW: LOOKING AHEADMAERSK: CATCHING UP RXO: SPOT RATES STRENGTHWTC: AHEAD OF EARNINGS CHRW: LACK OF MOMENTUM JBHT: HEALTHY CORRECTION VW: NEW AI PARTNERSHIPKNIN: RIP KMKMAERSK: ANOTHER UPGRADE DSV: STILL DOWN It took just six months for Jebel Ali to crash out of the top 30 container ports ranks, after more than two decades among the 10 busiest gateways in the world, as the impact of the US/Israel war on Iran continues. Alphaliner’s half-year assessment of box port standings is bleak reading for gateways on the west side of the Persian Gulf, with Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa dropping out of the top 50, having occupied 32nd place in the list. “Renewed disruption in Hormuz, which resulted in a near shutdown of the waterway from March onwards and only a partial and unstable reopening in June saw volumes plummet over 90% at Dubai’s Jebel Ali to just 374,000 teu in Q2,” Alphaliner said. “Combined with a Q1 decline of 23%, Dubai’s flagship port handled 3.14m teu in the first six months of the year, less than half the 7.77m teu recorded a year earlier. As a result, the port fell out of the top 30, dropping from 10th to 32nd.” Khalifa’s disappointing performance is in strong contrast to where it was just a year ago, when a year-on-year volume surge saw it handling some 21.4% more than it had in 2024, putting it in a position to challenge Lianyungang for a spot in the top 30. For its part, Lianyungang has shown no great shakes, reporting flat to marginal growth, but doing just enough to retain its position from last year, albeit leaving it well short of the average 3.7% growth rate recorded across the 11 Chinese ports in the top 30. Alphaliner noted: “With strong export growth driven by hi-tech and manufactured goods, plus a successful diversification drive, volumes at China’s seaports reached 161m teu in the period, a rise of 5.8% and a new six-month record. It added that “while exports to the US rose just 4%, China reported increased shipments to Africa, Latin America, Europe, and South-east Asia”, which climbed 30%, 14%, 10%, and 9% respectively. Although in terms of growth rates, South Asia was the standout star, with Sri Lanka’s Colombo and India’s Nhava Sheva climbing 11.9% and 13.6% year on year respectively, as carriers and shippers sought alternatives to the Gulf routings. But with Colombo’s 4.4m teu and Nhava Sheva handling just over 4m teu, both are a long way off challenging for a spot among the biggest players, given Singapore and Ningbo-Zhousan both handle some 22m teu a year and Shanghai handles 28.7m teu. “Sri Lanka’s leading port saw stronger transhipment demand as well as new capacity at its Colombo West International Terminal, which cut congestion and attracted additional volumes,” Alphaliner said. It pointed out: “Nhava Sheva also benefited from India’s strong export growth, and expansion through the Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal and Nhava Sheva Freeport.” For uninterrupted access, sign in or sign up to The Daily News, Premium or The Loadstar Enterprise Plan. Comment on this article