Singapore tops Xinhua-Baltic world maritime index for 13th year

The city-state scored 99.32 out of 100, ahead of Shanghai’s 84.27. 

Singapore remained the world’s leading maritime centre in the 2026 Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index (ISCD) for the 13th consecutive year.

The city-state scored 99.32 out of 100, ahead of Shanghai, which rose to second place with 84.27. London ranked third with 81.80, followed by Hong Kong at 80.87 and Dubai at 77.13.

The ranking comes as the Port of Singapore handled 44.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units in container throughput in 2025. Vessel arrivals reached 3.22 billion gross tonnage.

The country also retained its position as the world’s largest bunkering port, supplying a record 56.77 million tonnes of marine fuel. 

Sales of alternative marine fuels rose to 1.95 million tonnes, supported by higher volumes of biofuel blends, liquefied natural gas and methanol. 

In August 2025, the port became the first globally to require digital bunkering across all suppliers, with electronic bunker delivery notes replacing paper documentation, according to the index.

Moreover, the ship registry also expanded, with registered tonnage rising 27% to 137.46 million gross tonnes. The increase lifted the city-state from fifth to fourth in the global flag-state rankings. 

Singapore is connected to more than 600 ports and hosts over 200 international shipping groups.

The ISCD evaluates 43 maritime centres based on port performance, maritime services and the broader business environment.

Its indicators include cargo throughput, shipping finance, insurance, legal services, customs efficiency, digital government services and logistics performance.