During the first six months of this year, the global container port throughput rose by 6.7 percent and the growth is on track to hit over 6 percent for the full year, a six-year high, according to Alphaliner.

The estimate was made based on the survey results from over 250 ports, with a combined annual throughput of more than 550 million TEU.

“Total volume growth powered ahead in the second quarter to reach 7.4 percent, ahead of the 5.9 percent recorded in the first quarter this year. The momentum is expected to continue into the second half, with the latest figures for July also showing very strong figures,” Alphaliner added.

As disclosed, the growth was recorded in all regions, with ports from South Asia taking the lead with a growth rate of 9.3 percent. The Middle East ports lagged behind with only 3.1 percent growth. Ports in China and the US booked highest first-half growth rates of 8.4 pct and 8.2 respectively.

Among the top 30 ports, notable gainers during the period were Ningbo and Guangzhou with 14.4 and 11.7 percent respectively, while Algeciras saw a 9.4 percent dip in volumes, followed by Lianyungang and Bremerhaven with 7.2 pct and 4 pct decrease.