JNPA Jumps Seven Places to World No. 21 — India Now Has Two Ports in the Global Top 30
India’s container port story has taken a significant step forward. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), popularly known as Nhava Sheva, has jumped from 28th position in 2025 to 21st globally in the latest H1 2026 ranking of the world’s leading container ports.
The bigger story is not just the seven-place jump. JNPA recorded 13.6% year-on-year growth in container throughput, the highest growth among the ports in the global Top 30. During January–June 2026, the port handled 4,402,907 TEUs, compared with 3,874,394 TEUs in H1 2025 — an increase of more than 528,000 TEUs in just six months.
For India, there is another reason to take notice: Mundra Port also remains inside the global Top 30, at No. 26, with an estimated H1 2026 throughput of around 4.1 million TEUs. This means India now has two ports among the world's 30 largest container gateways.
JNPA is closing the gap with Colombo
The most interesting battle is just above JNPA.
Colombo Port is ranked 20th, immediately ahead of JNPA, after handling 4,444,034 TEUs in H1 2026. Colombo grew 11.9%, compared with JNPA's 13.6%.
The gap between the two ports is now only around 41,000 TEUs.
That is a remarkably small difference at this level of global container traffic.
Colombo handled 3,972,053 TEUs in H1 2025, while JNPA handled 3,874,394. In one year, JNPA has not only grown faster but has almost completely closed the gap with the Sri Lankan transshipment hub.
If the current growth momentum continues, the fight between Colombo and JNPA for the 20th position will be one of the interesting numbers to watch in the second half of the year.
The global ranking is changing rapidly
At the very top, Shanghai remains No. 1, handling about 28.74 million TEUs in the first half of 2026, up 6.2% year-on-year.
But the biggest change in the top three is the battle for second place.
Ningbo-Zhoushan has overtaken Singapore, handling 22.90 million TEUs, compared with Singapore's 22.74 million TEUs. The difference is only around 160,000 TEUs.
Ningbo grew 8.8%, while Singapore grew 4.7%.
Behind them, China's dominance is clear:
Shanghai: 28.74 million TEUs, +6.2%
Ningbo-Zhoushan: 22.90 million, +8.8%
Singapore: 22.74 million, +4.7%
Shenzhen: 18.56 million, +7.7%
Qingdao: 17.56 million, +7.2%
Guangzhou: 14.03 million, +2.9%
Tianjin: about 13.0 million, +6.1%
Six of the world's Top 10 are Chinese ports.
This makes JNPA's rise even more significant. India is not competing in an empty field — it is moving upward in a ranking dominated by some of the world's largest manufacturing and transshipment hubs.
India has two ports in the Top 30
JNPA's rise is not an isolated Indian story.
Mundra is ranked 26th, with estimated H1 2026 throughput of around 4.1 million TEUs, compared with about 4.004 million TEUs in H1 2025.
The word “estimated” is important here. The ranking source notes that some port figures, including Mundra's, are estimates and may be revised when final data becomes available. Therefore, the Mundra figure should not be presented as an audited final number.
JNPA's 4.403 million TEUs, on the other hand, puts it comfortably ahead of Mundra in the H1 ranking.
The combined performance of JNPA and Mundra shows something important: India's container trade is increasingly being supported by more than one major gateway.
JNPA's growth did not start in 2026
The latest ranking is actually the continuation of a longer growth story.
JNPA handled a record 8.17 million TEUs during FY 2025–26, an increase of 11.94% over the previous financial year. Its overall cargo throughput reached 102.01 million tonnes during FY 2025–26.
The port also crossed the 8 million TEU mark during FY 2025–26, another major milestone in its development.
Its calendar-year performance has also been strong. JNPA handled 7.94 million TEUs in CY 2025, up 12.64% from 7.05 million TEUs in 2024.
So the jump to No. 21 should not be viewed as a one-off spike. The numbers show several consecutive periods of strong container growth.
What is driving JNPA?
JNPA attributes its progress to a combination of operational efficiency, faster cargo evacuation, vessel-handling performance and multimodal connectivity.
The port currently operates five container terminals, giving it a substantial concentration of container-handling capacity within a single major-port complex.
Its rail connectivity is also important for moving containers away from the port. JNPA's own performance data shows continued use of container rakes for inland evacuation.
The port's ability to maintain cargo movement during periods of international disruption has also become increasingly important.
In May 2026, JNPA said its five container terminals were operating without congestion and that the port was handling approximately 22,000 TEUs of import-export container cargo per day, with around 20,000 TEUs moving by road and 2,000 TEUs by rail.
For a container gateway, throughput is not only about how many boxes can be lifted from a ship. It is also about how quickly those boxes can leave the terminal and enter the road, rail and logistics network.
But the global ranking also tells another story
The H1 2026 ranking is not simply a story of ports growing.
It is also a story of geopolitics changing container flows.
The most dramatic example is Jebel Ali in Dubai.
Jebel Ali, which had been No. 10 at the end of 2025, dropped to around No. 32 after handling only about 3.14 million TEUs in H1 2026, compared with approximately 7.77 million TEUs a year earlier — a fall of roughly 59.5%.
The sharp decline was linked to the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting reduction in regional vessel and cargo flows.
That is an important lesson for the industry.
A global port ranking can change very quickly when shipping routes change.
Cargo does not necessarily disappear. It can move to another gateway.
And that is where ports such as JNPA, Colombo and other Asian hubs become increasingly important.
Colombo, JNPA and Jakarta are the new movers
JNPA is not the only port making a major move.
Colombo climbed from 26th to 20th, with 4.44 million TEUs and 11.9% growth.
Jakarta moved up to 23rd, handling around 4.3 million TEUs and growing approximately 10.3%.
JNPA's rise to 21st is therefore part of a broader strengthening of several Asian container gateways.
At the same time, some traditional gateways are moving in the opposite direction.
Rotterdam remained around 12th with roughly 7.02 million TEUs and almost flat growth, while Antwerp-Bruges recorded a decline. Hamburg fell to 27th, with throughput of around 4.04 million TEUs and a 3.8% decline.
The message is becoming clear: global container shipping is becoming increasingly competitive, and Asian ports are capturing a larger share of the growth.
What does No. 21 mean for India?
Being 21st globally does not mean JNPA is suddenly one of the world's largest ports by absolute volume. The distance between JNPA and the top Asian giants remains enormous.
Shanghai handled more than six times JNPA's H1 volume.
But rankings are about direction as much as size.
JNPA has moved seven positions in a single year. It has crossed the 4-million-TEU level in the first half, is only around 41,000 TEUs behind Colombo, and is growing faster than every other port in the current Top 30.
That combination deserves attention.
For India, the more important question now is not whether JNPA can enter the Top 30.
It already has.
The question is how high it can climb next.
And with Mundra also at No. 26, India's presence in the global container-port league is becoming harder to ignore.
The next target: Top 20
JNPA is now sitting directly outside the global Top 20.
Only around 41,000 TEUs separated JNPA from Colombo in H1 2026.
That makes the next milestone very clear.
India's JNPA is no longer chasing the Top 30. It is now chasing the Top 20.
And if the first six months of 2026 are any indication, the race could become very interesting before the year is over.
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