Port Connectivity Index Reveals Crisis Drives Reshaping of Global Trade Patterns

According to the Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) jointly published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and MDS Transmodal, the post-pandemic "new normal" has not brought stability; instead, a series of crises have profoundly reshaped global trade patterns.

Structural Changes: From the Red Sea Crisis to Africa's Rise

The Red Sea crisis caused major disruptions to shipping routes through the Suez Canal, prompting shipping companies to redesign their network configurations. Antonella Teodoro, Senior Analyst at MDS Transmodal, noted that important changes in connectivity now manifest more as network fine-tuning rather than fundamental redrawing. The most notable change is the significant increase in connectivity for sub-Saharan Africa. Between July 2023 and July 2026, the top ten operators in the region all increased capacity deployment: MSC increased capacity by 60%, reaching nearly 585,000 TEU per month; Maersk grew by 31%, CMA CGM by 28%; while Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Evergreen saw capacity increases of 102% and 173%, respectively. AD Ports Group achieved a capacity increase of 354%, highlighting its rapid expansion in African logistics networks.

Port Landscape: Three Hubs Stable, Emerging Ports Gaining Momentum

The world's top three container ports—Shanghai, Ningbo, and Singapore—continued to grow steadily, with their indices rising from 2,106 to 2,372, 1,817 to 2,041, and 1,732 to 1,834, respectively. However, second-tier ports demonstrated greater dynamism. Colombo Port in Sri Lanka saw its connectivity index increase by 12% from 643 to 719, with growth across six dimensions including number of services, number of operators, deployed capacity, and direct connections. Vietnam's Haiphong Port rose from 577 to 690 (+20%), Ho Chi Minh City from 568 to 620 (+9%), and Vung Tau Port's deployed capacity surged from 14.1 million TEU to 24.2 million TEU, reflecting its enhanced role in regional transshipment and distribution.

Trade Corridors and Regional Impact

The index shows that global connectivity is shifting from Chinese gateway ports to secondary hubs in Southeast Asia, aligning with manufacturing diversification strategies. The rise of sub-Saharan Africa indicates that beyond the east-west main routes, the weight of north-south trade corridors is increasing. For Asia-Europe trade, the Red Sea crisis continues to force vessels to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope, increasing capacity demand on Asia-Europe routes and indirectly boosting transshipment volumes at East and West African ports.

Future Outlook

With continued investment in ports and infrastructure, the competition for connectivity in Africa and Southeast Asia will intensify further. Carriers are actively positioning themselves in emerging markets to capture long-term growth opportunities. Meanwhile, while the three hub ports maintain stable positions in the short term, a new round of network adjustments may occur if traffic through the Suez Canal resumes. Supply chain managers need to pay attention to the compound effects of these structural changes on transportation costs, transit times, and reliability.