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Gulf crisis sees Jebel Ali crash out of top 30 box port ranks after 20 years

It took just six months for Jebel Ali to crash out of the top 30 container ports ranks, after more than two decades among the 10 busiest gateways in the world, as the impact of the US/Israel war on Iran continues. Alphaliner's half-year assessment of box port standings is bleak reading for gateways on the west side of the Persian Gulf, with Abu Dhabi's Khalifa dropping out of the top 50, having occupied 32 place in the list. "Renewed disruption in Hormuz, which resulted in a near shutdown of the waterway from March onwards and only a partial and unstable reopening in June saw volumes plummet over 90% at Dubai's Jebel Ali to just 374,000 teu in Q2," Alphaliner said. "Combined with a Q1 decline of 23%, Dubai's flagship port handled 3.14m teu in the first six months of the year, less than half the 7.77m teu recorded a year earlier. As a result, the port fell out of the top 30, dropping from 10 to 32." Khalifa's disappointing performance is in strong contrast to where it was just a year ago, when a year-on-year volume surge saw it handling some 21.4% more than it had in 2024, putting it in a position to challenge Lianyungang for a spot in the top 30. For its part, Lianyungang has shown no great shakes, reporting flat to marginal growth, but doing just enough to retain its position from last year, albeit leaving it well short of the average 3.7% growth rate recorded across the 11 Chinese ports in the top 30. Alphaliner noted: "With strong export growth driven by hi-tech and manufactured goods, plus a successful diversification drive, volumes at China's seaports reached 161m teu in the period, a rise of 5.8% and a new six-month record. It added that "while exports to the US rose just 4%, China reported increased shipments to Africa, Latin America, Europe, and South-east Asia", which climbed 30%, 14%, 10%, and 9% respectively. Although in terms of growth rates, South Asia was the standout star, with Sri Lanka's Colombo and India's Nhava Sheva climbing 11.9% and 13.6% year on year respectively, as carriers and shippers sought alternatives to the Gulf routings. But with Colombo's 4.4m teu and Nhava Sheva handling just over 4m teu, both are a long way off challenging for a spot among the biggest players, given Singapore and Ningbo-Zhousan both handle some 22m teu a year and Shanghai handles 28.7m teu. "Sri Lanka's leading port saw stronger transhipment demand as well as new capacity at its Colombo West International Terminal, which cut congestion and attracted additional volumes," Alphaliner said. It pointed out: "Nhava Sheva also benefited from India's strong export growth, and expansion through the Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal and Nhava Sheva Freeport."

Most in logistics still can't make AI pay - the few that can think smaller

Key takeaway: BCG says just 13% of logistics firms see real returns from AI. But this week's crop of deployments suggests the winners aren't chasing grand visions, they're automating the boring stuff. The gap between what logistics executives say about artificial intelligence and what they can actually show for it has become difficult to ignore. A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report published earlier this month found that while 97% of logistics leaders call AI a strategic priority, only 13% ...

Hong Kong Air Cargo adds Brisbane to charter network

Hong Kong Air Cargo plans to start round-trip charter flights between Hong Kong and Brisbane, Australia this month. The cargo carrier will begin flights on 29 August and operate the once a week service on Saturdays. "By expanding footprint at Queensland's premier aviation gateway, the route strengthens our regional network and opens lucrative trade lanes between East Asia and Oceania," said Hong Kong Air Cargo. "Looking ahead, Hong Kong Air Cargo will continue to explore expansion opportunities, including growth in key markets and long-haul development." Earlier this month Hong Kong Air Cargo launched a dedicated freighter service between Hong Kong and Mumbai. As well as Australia and India, the carrier has steadily expanded into Europe, in part to meet e-commerce demand in the region, although e-commerce volumes have recently been affected by the European Union's (EU) introduction of a charge for low-cost packages. The airline started operations in the region in October 2023 with a service to Milan Malpensa. In February 2024, Hong Kong Air Cargo began operating a new route to Liege in Belgium, then in September 2024, it expanded its network to Oslo in Norway. The UK in particular has been a major focal point for the airline's European operations. In February 2024, it started operating to London Stansted (STN), then in October 2024, it launched a route to Birmingham (BHX). In February 2025, the airline began flying to Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) and in November 2025 it began operations at East Midlands Airport (EMA). In February this year, the airline also launched scheduled services to Larnaca International in Cyprus.