SE Asia box port ranking

Container traffic moving via the Top 15 Southeast Asia containerports (by volume) in 2022 was generally static compared to 2021 – with the exception of seventh-ranked Manila in the Philippines which achieved a 10 per cent increase, the only double-digit increase – Table 1.

Five ports in the region saw a decline in volumes compared to the previous year and the increases achieved elsewhere were only single digit. The eighth ranked port of Haiphong, Vietnam saw the second largest increase at 5.7 per cent with Tanjung Priok, Indonesia, ninth in the ranking, third with a 3.43 per cent increase. Manila’s performance can be seen as exceptional compared to its peers in the region.

By way of a further insight into Southeast Asia containerport performance, Drewry Maritime Research, the compiler of the data, has also calculated 2021 – 2022 activity based solely on gateway – import and export – traffic (excluding transshipment and domestic traffic). Table 2 summarises the situation – again Manila, sixth in the ranking, emerges as the exception to the rule with a 10.6 per cent increase. Second ranked Port Klang, Malaysia, is next with a 6.4 per cent increase and Tanjung Priok the next highest with a 3.1 per cent increase.

Five of the gateway ports registered a contraction in cargo volume in 2022 compared to 2021.

TERMINAL VIEW
Further drilling down into Southeast Asia container traffic data, Drewry provides the interesting perspective of a Top 20 container terminal ranking – Table 3 for all container traffic and Table 4 for gateway cargo only based on 2021 performance*. As might be expected, Table 3 shows the two major transhipment hubs of Singapore (Pasir Panjang Terminal) and Tanjung Pelepas in first and second positions respectively. PSA terminals are actually ranked in first, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and seventeenth in the ranking. In third position is port Klang with the Westport Kelang Multi Terminal.

Manila is the only entity other than Singapore to be identified in the ranking more than once with the Manila International Container Terminal in eleventh position and Manila North Harbor at nineteen. As with the ports ranking, Drewry again examines the position of Southeast Asia terminals on a pure gateway cargo basis – import and export cargo (excluding domestic volumes and transhipment) – Table 4. It does so recording those terminals that have handled over a million TEU in 2021 – the Top 12. It is a useful perspective from the point of view of understanding offtake infrastructure – road and rail – needs for example.

Wesport Kelang Multi Terminal (B07 – B10), Malaysia tops the ranking with 4,035,995TEU, Saigon NewPort – Cat Lai Terminal second with 3,623,036TEU and Manila International Container Terminal in third with 2,508,119TEU. From fourth position down to twelfth all the remaining terminals handle volumes in the range from one million TEU to just under two million TEU.

 This informative containerport performance data breaks new ground. Moving forward, as post-Pandemic data is collected and further refined it will undoubtedly prove useful to the sector – for overall port planning and wider aspects such as tariff s and competitive pricing