Egypt’s East Port Said ranked 3rd globally in World Bank port performance index, 1st in MENA

Egypt’s East Port Said (EPS) has surged into the top three most efficient container ports worldwide, climbing from 10th place in 2022, according to the World Bank’s latest Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) released on September 23.

The CPPI measures efficiency at 405 container ports globally based on vessel turnaround times and operational performance. EPS is now also the highest-ranked port in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ahead of rivals such as Jebel Ali in Dubai.

Overall, port performance declined globally between 2020 and 2024 owing to the “Red Sea Crisis, challenges at the Panama Canal, and pandemic-related shocks,” the World Bank said, while noting that efficiency rose at the largest ports in high-income countries, and above all in East Asia.

“Several developing country ports saw noteworthy improvements to their scores and rankings, between 2020-2024, including Dakar (Senegal), Jawarharlal Nehru (India), Mersin (Türkiye), Port Said (Egypt), and Posorja (Ecuador).”

Egypt’s transport ministry has credited the port’s stronger performance as driven by infrastructure upgrades, terminal expansion and regulatory reforms, Ahram Online reports.

Recent investments include expanded berths, new cranes and digital traffic management systems, which have reduced waiting times for vessels. The Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) at East Port Said is also expanding by 2.1mn twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), lifting EPS’s overall handling capacity to 6.6mn TEUs annually once complete. SCCT is majority-owned and operated by APM Terminals, which is part of the A.P. Moller–Maersk Group.