Singapore Holds Top Maritime Hub Ranking as Shanghai Jumps to Second

Singapore has kept its crown as the world's leading maritime hub for a seventh straight edition, while Shanghai jumped from fourth to second place and Asia now holds three of the top five spots in the Leading Maritime Cities 2026 report from DNV and Menon Economics, released Thursday.

The overall ranking reads Singapore, Shanghai, London, Rotterdam and Tokyo. Singapore has led every edition since the report launched in 2015, holding the top spot through shipping activity, port infrastructure, maritime services and technology investment.

The shakeup came below it. Shanghai overtook both Rotterdam and London to take second. Tokyo returned to the top five, displacing Oslo, which had ranked fifth in 2024. Asia's tally in the top five rose from two cities to three.

Where did Singapore win?

Singapore ranked first in three of the report's five categories: Shipping, Ports and Logistics, and Attractiveness and Competitiveness. It placed third in Maritime Finance and Law and fourth in Maritime Technology. The report credits the city-state's concentration of shipowners and fleet managers, one of the world's most important ports, extensive liner shipping connections and growing alternative-fuel bunkering capability.

Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, CEO Maritime at DNV, framed the results against a turbulent year for shipping. "This has been a year of disruption and adjustment for the maritime industry," she said. "Faced with these challenges, the leading maritime cities have demonstrated that leadership is built not on a single activity, but on breadth."

How far did North American hubs fall?

North America lost ground across the board. New York stayed the region's highest-ranked city but slipped from sixth to eighth globally. Houston fell five places to 20th. Los Angeles dropped from 19th to 25th. Vancouver recorded the steepest decline, tumbling from 13th to 28th.

The report flags one city to watch: Dubai. In a survey of maritime experts looking five years ahead, Dubai ranked third among cities expected to lead the global maritime sector.

Erik Jakobsen, partner and chair of Menon Economics, put the shift plainly. "This year, that points to a shift in the balance of maritime power. Asia now holds three of the top five places, up from two in 2024," he said. "At the same time, established European hubs such as London and Rotterdam continue to demonstrate the importance of strong maritime services and port-industrial clusters."

What does the ranking actually measure?

Researchers screened more than 15,000 cities using maritime industry data before selecting 50 for detailed evaluation. The final assessment draws on 48 indicators across five categories — Shipping, Maritime Finance and Law, Maritime Technology, Ports and Logistics, and Attractiveness and Competitiveness — plus survey responses from more than 200 maritime industry experts worldwide.

Now in its seventh edition, the report expanded its methodology this year to account for forces reshaping the industry: the energy transition, technological development, workforce availability and resilience. DNV and Menon Economics caution, twice, that ranking changes should be read in the context of those methodological updates, which can affect year-on-year comparisons.

The findings point to a broader conclusion: maritime competitiveness now depends on more than fleet ownership or cargo volumes alone. Shahrin Osman, global business development leader for maritime advisory at DNV and co-author of the report, said: "Cities compete from different positions, and their strengths reflect the role they play in the global maritime industry. Those that come out on top link infrastructure, commercial decision-making, specialist services, technology and talent into a single working cluster."

For Singapore, that combination has held off all challengers for more than a decade. With Shanghai climbing, Tokyo back in the top five and Dubai looming in the five-year outlook, the contest among the world's maritime centers is tightening — and the 2027 edition will test whether Singapore's lead survives Asia's rising pressure.