Shanghai Nears Singapore in Shipping Rankings

Shanghai has risen to second place in the latest global shipping centre ranking, marking the city’s highest-ever position and overtaking London, amid China’s push to become a maritime powerhouse.

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.

As China pushes to transform into a maritime powerhouse amid rising geopolitical uncertainties surrounding its export sector, Shanghai is taking a central role as the city aims to leverage its status as the world’s busiest port, China’s primary shipbuilding hub, and a major financial centre, to transition into a leading international shipping service provider.

Last year, the Port of Shanghai’s container throughput hit an historic 55.06 million 20-foot equivalent units, extending its unbroken 16-year streak as the top global port in shipping container volume.

The city also launched a plan in July 2025 to augment its Changxing Island into a high-end marine equipment manufacturing hub, aiming for an industrial output of over 120 billion yuan ($17.69 billion) within three years.

While Shanghai has locked in an edge in port capacity, sheer volume would not allow it to break out against leading hubs like London and Singapore, Li Jian, deputy director of research at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the city’s local media outlet The Paper earlier this year.

To truly compete, Shanghai should pivot from moving cargo to commanding global maritime resources, said Li.

Becoming a premier international shipping hub is a core focus for Shanghai over the next five years, as reflected in the city’s 15th five-year plan.

Alongside infrastructure upgrades to boost connectivity, Shanghai also plans to develop high-end maritime and ship finance services, deepen institutional innovations in maritime arbitration rules, digitalise port operations and accelerate the adoption of clean-energyvessels.

“As Shanghai competes with Singapore and London, the true competition takes place in less visible areas – specifically, who can offer stable shipping networks, efficient supply chains, predictable regulations and superior risk management,” read a press release from Shanghai’s Hongkou District, a major maritime cluster, on Monday.

Apart from Shanghai, other Chinese ports also improved their positions in the latest ISCDI compared to last year. Among them, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Qingdao, and Tianjin all secured spots within the global top 20.