Shanghai port secures second place in global ranking, overtaking London
A core focus for the port, the busiest in the world and China’s shipbuilding centre, is to become a premier international shipping hub
The Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index (ISCDI), an annual ranking jointly compiled by China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency and British maritime information provider Baltic Exchange, released its yearly report on Friday.
First launched in 2014, the index evaluates global hubs by placing an 80 per cent weight on maritime services and business environments, while traditional port infrastructure accounts for the remaining 20 per cent.
“Shanghai remains firmly at the forefront of global shipping hubs, driven not only by its clear edge in container throughput and ocean freight capacity, but also by its vast, integrated industrial ecosystem,” said Zhang Jingyou, head of Baltic Exchange Asia, as reported by Xinhua on Friday.
“This scale allows the city to aggregate the entire value chain – from shipping companies and financial institutions to marine insurance, legal services and advanced shipbuilding.”
In the latest evaluation of 43 international shipping centres, Singapore maintained its top position as the world’s leading maritime hub, with London ranking third.
Hong Kong retained the fourth spot globally – a ranking it has held since 2020 after falling from its second-place peak in 2019.