In August 2026, on the large screen of the remote dispatch center at Singapore Port, a feeder ship loaded with Southeast Asian regional trade goods slowly docked, and the dock crane accurately picked up the container and placed it on the container truck. This batch of goods did not bypass traditional super large hubs, but directly departed from local small and medium-sized ports to complete the transfer. The operational details of the global container transportation market in 2026 reflect the ongoing structural changes in the industry. The decentralization and diversification transformation of the global port system has shifted from a trend to a normal daily operation.

The global port fleet continues to expand

The 2026 mid year report updated by Dutch shipping research firm Dynamar shows that the global port container throughput will exceed 1 billion TEUs for the first time in 2025, reaching 1.012 billion TEUs. It is expected to exceed 1.07 billion TEUs for the whole year of 2026, maintaining a steady growth rate of over 6% year-on-year.

East Asian ports still account for half of the global throughput, with a total throughput of over 270 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, continuing to play a role as the core source and hub pillar of the global supply chain. According to publicly available data from the Ministry of Transport in mid-2026, China's coastal ports completed a container throughput of 162 million TEUs in the first half of the year, and are expected to exceed 330 million TEUs for the whole year. The number of Chinese ports with an annual throughput exceeding one million TEUs has increased to 32. By 2026, the total number of ports worldwide with an annual throughput of over one million TEUs will reach 182, and the total container handling volume for the year will exceed 940 million TEUs. The stable operation of top ports remains the cornerstone of the global shipping network.

The growth momentum of small and medium-sized ports continues to be released

The high growth trend of global small and medium-sized ports in 2026 continues, with an average throughput growth rate of 23% year-on-year in the first half of the year, far exceeding the average growth rate of 4.8% of top ports.

The trade increment brought about by nearshore outsourcing and the implementation of regional trade agreements continues to inject new vitality into small and medium-sized ports. The number of new routes added to small and medium-sized ports in Southeast Asia and Latin America will increase by more than 30% year-on-year in 2026. A large number of goods in the region no longer need to bypass core hubs and can be directly imported and exported through local gateway ports. By 2026, the proportion of global throughput of million TEUs ports will further decline to 85%, and a more resilient and multi-point supported global container transportation network is fully taking shape. Keywords: port logistics, global container transportation

From the dispatch screens of Singapore ports to the operational terminals of emerging ports in Latin America, the global port market in 2026 is proving with sustained growth in throughput that a diverse and collaborative port system is the core foundation supporting the stable operation of global trade.Editor/Cheng Liting