The global cargo market was generally improved in 2021 with the inoculation and popularization of vaccines over the world. According to data shared by Alphaliner, 26 of the top 30 ports saw higher throughput growth in 2021 than in 2020. In contrast to the disruptive year of 2020 when 15 of the world's top 30 container ports saw throughput decline rather than rise, in 2021, the world's 30 largest container ports saw throughput growth of over 6.5%, handling a total of 450 million TEUs, which is 29 million TEUs more than 2020.

Nine of the Top 10 container ports are located in Asia. In China, even under the "zero tolerance for Covid-19" policy, the seven Chinese ports in the Top 10 have maintained a steady growth and occupied 76% of the total volume of Top 10. Shanghai continues to consolidate its position as the world's busiest container port, topping the list for the 12th consecutive year and growing for the 12th year in a row. It has now widened the gap with its nearest competitor, Singapore, to almost 10 million. At the same time, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, the third busiest port, has also narrowed the gap with Singapore, with just 6.5 million TEUs behind.

It is worth noting that while suffering from port congestion, all the 3 American ports among the Top 30 have achieved growth rates of 15% or more. The ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach overtook Hong Kong and rose to No. 9, with a growth rate of 15.8% in 2021.

In 2021, 14 ports turned their negative growth 2020 into positive growth. However, six ports have not yet returned to their pre-covid levels: Hong Kong, Piraeus, Dubai, Kaohsiung, Hamburg, and Yingkou. Among them, Hong Kong fell from 5th place in 2017 to 10th place last year.

A total of 10 ports have seen growth in their rankings, three of which are in the United States and two in India. The fastest-growing port is Nhava Sheva in Mumbai, India, with a 25.9% increase compared to 2020. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) developed a multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in its owned freehold land of 277.38 hectares at Navi Mumbai. As India privatized seven major ports in 2021, the ports in India will see new opportunities for development.

The Top 1 French port, HAROPA (Le Havre/Rouen/Paris), with a container throughput of 3.07M TEU in 2021, achieved the highest growth rate (25.6%) among the Top 10 container ports in European Union. Since it launched the first Strategic Project for the 2020-2025 period last year, further evolution can be expected for this port of potential.

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