Despite recording a 7.37 percent growth in container handling in 2024, Chattogram Port has fallen one step in the global ranking of the world’s top 100 ports.
According to Lloyd’s List, the London-based and world’s oldest shipping publication, Chattogram Port is now ranked 68th, down from 67th last year. The ranking was published on Saturday in its special edition titled One Hundred Ports 2025.
The report noted that Chattogram Port handled 3.275 million TEUs or twenty-foot equivalent units of containers in 2024, up from 3.05 million TEUs in 2023, marking a 7.37 percent increase.
Over the past decade, Chattogram Port’s highest ranking in Lloyd’s List was recorded in 2019, when it stood at 58th.
Chattogram Port Secretary Omar Faruk said, “We will make our statement after Lloyd’s List officially shares the information.”
According to the Chittagong Port Authority, port operations and activities were severely disrupted in July and August 2024 due to multiple factors, including the anti-discrimination student movement, incidents of violence, and the suspension of internet services.
The situation worsened further when devastating floods cut off traffic on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway, which remained closed for several consecutive days. These disruptions, which lasted nearly two months, severely hampered port operations and had a negative impact on container handling.
Officials believe that if the overall situation in the country had remained normal, container handling would have increased even further. They also suggested that these setbacks contributed to Chattogram Port’s decline in the latest global rankings.
According to Lloyd’s List, China’s Shanghai Port retained the top spot by handling 51.5 million TEUs in 2024, followed by Singapore Port in second place with 41.1 million TEUs.
Altogether, the top 100 ports in the world handled 743.6 million TEUs in 2024, reflecting an average growth of nearly 8 percent compared to the previous year.
Chattogram Port is the only Bangladeshi port regularly featured in the global top 100 list. It handles 99 percent of the country’s containerized cargo, with Mongla Port accounting for just 1 percent. This makes Chattogram the primary gateway for container transport by sea.
