The ports of Durban and Ngqura are among the most improved ports globally, according to the World Bank's latest Container Port Performance Index (CPPI). Port Elizabeth is also listed as one of the five most improved ports in the world over a five-year period.
The Port of Durban secured the top position globally for the most significant year-on-year turnaround, recording a substantial improvement in its index performance. This recovery reduced vessel waiting times at anchorage from a peak of 20 vessels to zero.
"Concurrently, productive time spent at the berth increased significantly, with the share of time vessels spent at berth increasing to 76%," the report noted.
However, despite this statistical improvement, Durban remains positioned near the bottom tier of evaluated global ports because of its historically poor baseline performance.
The CPPI measures container port performance based on total observed vessel time spent in port.
This turnaround comes after South African ports ranked poorly in previous indexes, largely due to infrastructure and equipment shortages that triggered severe congestion and backlogs, with as many as 20 vessels waiting at anchor in some cases.
Eastern Cape ports mirrored Durban's upward trajectory. Ngqura achieved a major operational turnaround, making it the third-highest improver globally year on year. Port Elizabeth, ranked the sixth-highest global improver year on year, also recorded a significant improvement in efficiency metrics and remains among the five most improved ports globally between 2020 and 2024.
In contrast, the Port of Cape Town deteriorated further, sliding to the bottom of the global rankings.
The report noted that Cape Town's trajectory underscored how exposure to weather-related disruptions and other operational constraints could affect port performance. Persistent bottlenecks and environmental factors resulted in vessels accumulating delays outside active berth operations.
Global performance
At the top of the index, East Asian and Middle Eastern ports maintained their operational dominance. Chinese ports were among the most efficient overall, with Fuzhou ranked the best-performing port, followed by Dalian (China), Salalah (Oman), Mawan (China) and Chiwan (China).
In the African rankings, Morocco's Tanger Med was the highest-performing port, ranking sixth globally. Egypt's Port Said followed as the second-highest performer in Africa, ranking 15th globally, while Djibouti ranked third on the continent with a global position of 53rd.
Container port performance has a direct relationship with global supply chain efficiency, the report said. When ports underperform or face operational delays, they reduce effective shipping capacity, propagate delays across shipping networks and contribute to market volatility.
Conversely, efficient ports that minimise non-productive waiting times help stabilise trade flows and improve supply chain resilience.
