CAIRO (Realist English). East Port Said (EPS) has climbed into the top three most efficient container ports worldwide, according to the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) released on September 23. The Egyptian hub advanced from 10th place in 2022, becoming the highest-ranked port in the Middle East and North Africa, ahead of Dubai’s Jebel Ali.
The CPPI evaluates 405 container ports based on vessel turnaround times and operational efficiency. While global port performance has generally weakened between 2020 and 2024 due to the Red Sea crisis, constraints at the Panama Canal and pandemic-related disruptions, EPS registered steady improvements. The World Bank cited Egypt alongside Senegal, India, Türkiye and Ecuador as examples of developing countries where ports have significantly enhanced their scores.
Egypt’s transport ministry attributed the achievement to infrastructure upgrades, terminal expansion and regulatory reforms. Recent investments include new cranes, expanded berths and digital traffic management systems, which reduced waiting times. The Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) is undergoing a 2.1mn TEU expansion that will lift EPS’s total annual capacity to 6.6mn TEUs. SCCT is majority-owned and operated by APM Terminals, part of the A.P. Moller–Maersk Group.
Despite its smaller scale, EPS’s efficiency enables it to compete effectively in transshipment and Red Sea–Mediterranean traffic. In 2023, the port handled 4.44mn TEUs, up 4.4% year on year, compared with Morocco’s Tanger Med at 8.6mn TEUs and Dubai’s Jebel Ali at 15.5mn TEUs.
Officials view the ranking as a boost for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, intended to attract investment into logistics, manufacturing and distribution. Higher throughput also provides foreign-currency revenues at a time when Egypt faces a weak currency and rising debt.
The CPPI, jointly produced by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, uses data from more than 175,000 vessel calls and 247mn container moves.
