The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has released its latest Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) update for this year’s fourth quarter. The index summarizes the degree of integration of a port into the global network of containerized shipping services.
With the average port connectivity value in the first quarter of 2023 set at 100, the index takes several factors into account: the port’s annual container handling capacity, the number of weekly calls scheduled at the port, the number of other ports connected to the port in question by direct liner services (not requiring transshipment operations), the cargo capacity of the largest containership used in direct liner services to and from the port and the number of shipping companies operating services calling at the port.
The analysis highlights that the most connected ports in the world are still Shanghai (with an index of 2,416.49), Ningbo (2,056.96), Singapore (1,876.95) and Qingdao (1,426.42).
The following ports recorded the most significant increases: Vung Tau (+26%), Port Khalifa (+33%), Mersin (+31%), Tema (+26%), Abidjan (+33%), Las Palmas (+29%), Lome (+33%), Damietta (+23%) and Salalah (+68%).
As far as Italy is concerned, the trend appears to be more or less the same as the previous quarter.
Among Italian ports, Genoa is the most connected in terms of containerized cargo shipping. The Ligurian port has an index of 439.94, up 3% on the previous quarter and 5.6% annually.
Despite losing almost three percentage points on Q3 and 0.22 percentage points on an annual basis, the port of Gioia Tauro remains firmly in second place, with an index of 318.53.
La Spezia port is still in third place, with an index of 275.15 (+2.7% compared to Q3 and +7.8% compared to the same quarter last year).
The port of Salerno also performed well, increasing its connectivity by more than 10 points compared to the previous quarter, up from 212.82 to 222.35 (+4.7% on a quarterly basis and +20.3% annually).
The port of Livorno gained one position compared to the previous quarter, ranking fifth with an index of 159.38 and an increase of 4.2% on a quarterly basis and 2.13% on an annual basis, just above the port of Naples. Naples’ Q4 performance improved, up from 136.3 to 142.89 points. Trieste scored 139.08 (down by just under 10 percentage points on a quarterly basis).
“Although they need to be examined in greater depth and better contextualized in terms of market dynamics, UNCTAD’s latest data certainly represents an encouraging result for the port of Livorno. Over the last few years, it has managed to attract a multitude of shipping companies, further integrating itself into global container shipping networks,” commented Davide Gariglio, President of the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority.
“The credit,” he added, “must certainly go to our port’s terminal operators, who have invested in improving the efficiency of goods loading and unloading operations. We like to think that the Port Network Authority has also made a small contribution to this improved performance. With a view to creating full synergy between the public and private sectors, it has continued to invest in rail intermodality and developing its Tuscan Port Community System (TPCS) and gate control automation systems, translating ideas and requests into solutions that truly meet the port’s real operational needs.”
Translation by Giles Foster