World Bank report: APM Terminals operational in six of top 10 most efficient container ports in the world

APM Terminals’ operations appeared six times in the top 10 most efficient container terminals in the world, as ranked in The Container Port PERFORMANCE INDEX 2023 published this week by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The CPPI, developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, is based on an extensive dataset from 405 ports worldwide, the largest to date. Time stamps from 10 of the world’s largest liner shipping companies, which collectively operate almost 80 percent of global container shipping, are collected. This equates to over 182,000 vessel calls, 238.2 million moves, and approximately 381 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the full calendar year of 2023.

Amidst some significant changes in global rankings caused by regional disruptions, APM Terminals retained six top 10 positions. The Port of Salalah in Oman secured a second-place ranking, Tanger-Mediterranean in Morocco held fourth, Malaysia’s Tanjung Pelepas Port fifth, Cai Mep in Vietnam seventh, Yokohama in Japan ninth and APM Terminals Algeciras, Spain tenth.

Gemini Cooperation Hubs

It is no coincidence that five of these top performing container terminals, APM Terminals Algeciras, APM Terminals Tangier and Medport Tangier, and Port of Tanjung Pelepas have also been selected by the new Gemini Cooperation, a long-term operational collaboration between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, which will start in February 2025. Hubs will play a key role in delivering the industry-leading 90%+ schedule reliability, competitive transit times, and far-reaching global coverage set as a goal by Gemini, once the network is fully implemented.

“I can’t help but being proud - operating six container terminals or ports in the top ten,” commented Olaf Gelhausen, Chief Operating Officer at APM Terminals. “It shows me that our drive for improved safety, visibility and predictability really makes a difference to boost operations and to deliver to our customers. A boost that can trickle down to other parts of the supply chain as well.

“Delivering on these parameters is especially important in a time where supply chains are once again being challenged and we all need to walk the extra mile to deliver operational excellence in all our terminals.”

Triple success for Port of Salalah

For the Port of Salalah in Oman, it was a triple celebration, having retained its positions as the world’s second most efficient port for the third consecutive year despite regional disruptions and an ongoing USD 300 million expansion. It also retained its first position for the West Central and South Asia Region.

"Retaining this title for the third consecutive year, reaffirms our strong commitment to continuous performance improvement, even during challenging times," said Keld Christensen, CEO of Port of Salalah. "This achievement is a testament to the incredible tenacity of our people, and we are proud of their efforts. It highlights our stability and commitment to serving our customers in the best possible way. I salute our hardworking employees for this great accomplishment and thank all the stakeholders who supported us."

Port performance is measured by the efficiency of vessel turnaround time, known as 'Total Port Hours' – the total duration from when a ship reaches the port limits, pilot station, or anchorage zone, until it departs the berth after completing its cargo exchange. According to the report, the Port of Salalah, with 1,146 vessel calls, achieved 164.72 index points, ranking second only to Yangshan in China, which had 3,509 vessel calls and an index score of 177.9.

Expansion plans

The company has a clear focus on maintaining the exceptional performance at these terminals. An expansion of more than a million TEU (Phase 2) was delivered at APM Terminals Tangier MedPort, Morocco in December last year. The expansion covers 18 Hectares, with seven additional container stacks and an additional 400 metre berth. Phase 3, due in 2025, will increase the total capacity by an additional one million TEU.

As part of an equipment modernisation program, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), a joint venture between the MMC Group and APM Terminals, inked an agreement this year with Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) to procure 48 electric rubber tyre gantry cranes for delivery in Q3 2025.

PTP’s Chairman, Tan Sri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh remarked that the agreement signing reflects PTP’s strong commitment to expanding its capacity and capability to support their customers’ growth demands. “PTP’s strategic approach to continuously enhance efficiency and optimise its footprint, has contributed tremendously to keeping the terminal’s advantages in an increasingly competitive global market,” he said.

1 million TEU expansion at Salalah

To ensure Salalah maintains its position in the ranking, the Port is currently carrying out a USD 300 million container terminal upgrade and expansion project. Next week the port will receive the final four out of 10 new ZPMC ship-to-shore cranes. The first cranes, with a 75 m/26 container outreach, arrived at the start of 2024 are currently being commissioned and tested to start operations.

Once the project is completed in the first quarter of 2025, annual capacity at the terminal will increase from 5 million to 6 million TEU. The extra capacity will allow it to efficiently serve as a key hub for the Gemini Cooperation - a long-term operational collaboration between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, which will start in February 2025, with additional capacity available for other shipping lines.