The port of Tanger Med has closed the 2025 fiscal year with a volume of 11,106,164 TEUs, which represents a growth of 8.4% compared to the 10,241,392 TEUs recorded in 2024, according to the annual ranking of the 30 largest container ports in the world prepared by the consulting firm Alphaliner. But it is the medium-term perspective that reveals the true dimension of the transformation of the Moroccan port: since 2019, Tanger Med has increased its traffic by 131.3%, rising from 4,801,710 TEUs to over 11 million, the highest growth rate among the 30 largest ports in the world during that six-year period.
The Alphaliner report confirms that container traffic at the world’s major ports surpassed forecasts again in 2025, with an estimated growth of 5.2% compared to the previous fiscal year, above the increase of 4.7% observed in the overall container trade. This differential is explained, according to the consultant, by the severe operational disruptions that marked the year, including massive route diversions stemming from the closure of the Red Sea, the threat and temporary imposition of tariffs by the United States in April, and the consequent redistribution of cargo, especially in Southeast Asia.
Transshipment hubs have been the main beneficiaries of this reconfiguration of global maritime flows. Alphaliner explicitly points to Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, and Colombo in Asia, and to Tanger Med and Valencia in the Mediterranean, as the ports that have most capitalized on the disruptions in shipping service networks. Global port volumes are already 55% above pre-COVID-19 levels, a figure that reflects both the organic growth of trade and the multiplying effect that route diversions and increased transshipment stops have on container handling figures.
Shanghai maintains the top position in the ranking with 55,062,000 TEUs, a growth of 6.9% that extends the distance from Singapore, the second-ranked with 44,663,699 TEUs after recording an increase of 8.6%. The port of Ningbo Zhoushan, the world's third-largest port, reached 43,870,000 TEUs with a growth of 11.6%, while Shenzhen and Qingdao complete a fully Chinese top five with 35,410,000 and 32,890,000 TEUs respectively.
The Malaysian port of Tanjung Pelepas was, according to Alphaliner, the most notable winner of the fiscal year in relative terms within the large Asian ports, with a growth of 14.5% that has allowed it to climb three positions in the ranking, from 16th to 13th place, reaching 14,028,376 TEUs. This advance is explained by the capture of transshipment traffic diverted from the Red Sea and the Middle East towards Southeast Asia, a trend that has also benefited Singapore and Colombo, the latter with an increase of 6.5% up to 8,301,210 TEUs.
In the Mediterranean, Tanger Med and Valencia are the two ports that Alphaliner identifies as beneficiaries of the reconfiguration of routes. The case of Tanger Med is particularly striking due to the magnitude of its accumulated growth. The Moroccan port, located on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, has multiplied its container traffic by 2.3 times in just six years, a progression that has no equivalent among the 30 largest ports in the world. Not even Tanjung Pelepas, which records a growth of 54.5% since 2019, or Ningbo Zhoushan, with 59.3%, come close to the pace of expansion of the Moroccan hub.
This exponential growth is supported by Tanger Med's ability to attract calls from the main shipping alliances operating on routes between Asia, Europe, Africa, and America. Its geographical position at the entrance of the Mediterranean, opposite the Port of Algeciras, provides it with a logistical advantage for transshipment operations that connect transoceanic traffic with intra-Mediterranean distribution networks and with routes to West Africa. The expansion of its terminals and the incorporation of new operational capacities have allowed the port to absorb a growing volume of traffic without significant congestion problems being reported.
Rotterdam, the largest European port, occupies the twelfth position with 14,250,000 TEUs and a growth of 3.1%, although it has accumulated a decline of 3.8% compared to 2019. Antwerp, in 14th place, recorded 13,610,000 TEUs with a modest advance of 0.7%, while Hamburg climbs to 23rd place with 8,364,000 TEUs and a growth of 7.3%, although it has accumulated a decline of 9.9% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The ranking also shows the decline of Hong Kong, which falls from 13th to 15th place with a drop of 5.4% down to 12,944,000 TEUs, and that of Kaohsiung (Taiwan), which descends from 19th to 22nd place with a decrease of 3.7%. In both cases, geopolitical tensions in the region and the redistribution of transshipment flows towards other hubs have penalized their volumes.
Among the ports that have grown the most in percentage terms during 2025 are Tanjung Pelepas (14.5%), Nhava Sheva in India (12.6%), Ningbo Zhoushan (11.6%), Beibu Gulf in China (11.5%), Laem Chabang in Thailand (9.4%), and Tanger Med (8.4%). The concentration of the largest growths in ports in Asia and the Strait of Gibraltar confirms the displacement of transshipment flows from conflict-affected areas to hubs that offer greater operational stability and better connections with the main maritime routes.
