2023 Essential Revenue and Operating Information for the 50 Largest Global Freight Companies
Up Front

Infrastructure and automation improvements have helped port operators, but there is still more work to be done.

A new No. 1 leads off this year’s Transport Topics Top 50 list of the world’s largest freight companies.

Get a continent-by-continent and country- by-country look at where the Top 50 Global Freight Companies are based.

Rankings
 

Port Data

Rank Port Name City Type of Freight TEUs 2022 TEUs 2021 % Change Freight Tonnage (metric tons)
1 Port of Los Angeles Los Angeles container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger 9,911,159 10,677,610 -7.2% 219,000,000*
2 Port of New York and New Jersey New York container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger 9,493,664 8,985,929 5.7%  
3 Port of Long Beach Long Beach, Calif. container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger 9,133,657 9,384,368 -2.7% 193,354,062
4 Port of Savannah Savannah, Ga. container, break bulk, heavy lift, automobile, refrigerated 5,892,131 5,613,163 5.0% 38,459,904
5 Ports of Colon, Cristobal and Manzanillo Colón, Panama container, liquid bulk, dry bulk, passenger, transshipping 5,058,556 4,915,975 2.9%  
6 Port Houston Houston container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk 3,974,901 3,453,226 15.1% 49,950,465
7 Port of Virginia Norfolk, Va. container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile 3,703,231 3,522,834 5.1% 59,398,828
8 Port of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, special project cargo, passenger 3,557,294 3,678,952 -3.3% 142,469,186
9 Port of Manzanillo Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico container, dry bulk, liquid bulk 3,473,852 3,371,438 3.0% 34,434,272
10 Northwest Seaport Alliance Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. container, break bulk, liquid bulk, dry bulk, automobile, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger, air cargo 3,384,018 3,736,206 -9.4% 24,551,174
11 Port of Balboa/PSA Panama International Terminal Panama Int'l Terminals, Panama container, transshipping 3,347,861 3,561,432 -6.0%  
12 Port of Charleston Charleston, S.C. container, break bulk, dry bulk, automobile, refrigerated 2,792,313 2,751,442 1.5%  
13 Port of Oakland Oakland, Calif. container 2,337,607 2,448,243 -4.5%  
14 Port of Kingston Kingston, Jamaica container, heavy lift, liquid bulk 2,137,500 1,975,401 8.2%  
15 Port of Montreal Montreal container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, passenger 1,722,704 1,728,114 -0.3% 35,997,337
16 Port of Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, transshipping 1,700,000 1,686,076 0.8%  
17 Port of Freeport Freeport, Bahamas container, passenger 1,574,200 1,642,780 -4.2%  
18 Port of Caucedo Caucedo, Dominican Republic container, refrigerated, transshipping 1,406,500 1,250,000 12.5%  
19 Port of San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico container 1,398,600 1,438,738 -2.8%  
20 Port of Jacksonville^ Jacksonville, Fla. container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, heavy lift, refrigerated 1,298,132 1,407,310 -7.8% 9,101,666
21 Port Miami^ Miami container, passenger 1,197,663 1,254,062 -4.5% 9,267,587
22 Moín Container Terminal Límon, Costa Rica container 1,182,854 1,319,372 -10.3%  
23 Port Everglades Broward County, Fla. container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, passenger 1,107,546 1,038,179 6.7% 24,129,601
24 Port of Baltimore Baltimore container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, refrigerated, passenger 1,069,421 1,022,683 4.6% 10,307,241
25 Port of Prince Rupert Prince Rupert, British Columbia container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, special project cargo, passenger 1,035,639 1,054,836 -1.8% 24,593,720
NOTE: Data for the ports of Kingston, Freeport, Caucedo and San Juan are via PortEconomics. Data for the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas is via the American Journal of Transportation. All other data is via port authorities.

* Freight tonnage for the Port of Los Angeles is for fiscal year 2021-22, ended June 30, 2022.

^ Data for the Port of Jacksonville and Port Miami is for fiscal year 2021-22, ended Sept. 30, 2022.
Extras

2022 saw an eastern shift in North American ocean freight, while airfreight dipped across the continent.

If your company appears on the list, you have a few ways to announce it. Visit our logo library to get web- and print-ready graphics.

Learn more about Transport Topics’ Top 50 Global Freight Companies publication.

Global Freight News
Business, Equipment, Logistics, Global Freight

Supply Chains Must Change, Says Maersk’s Ditlev Blicher

Increasing volatility in global supply chains means shipping lines must undergo a radical restructuring to survive, according to A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S.

Ann Koh | Bloomberg News
February 8, 2023
Business, For-Hire, Global Freight

FedEx to Cut Management Jobs by More Than 10%

FedEx Corp. is cutting global officer and director jobs by more than 10%, the courier’s latest cost-saving measure as economic concerns and waning e-commerce weigh on demand for package delivery.

Thomas Black | Bloomberg News
February 1, 2023
Government, Business, Global Freight

Drop in Global Shipping Costs Signals Cooling Inflation, Experts Say

The pandemic-era surge in shipping costs was a “smoking gun” that foretold the global inflation spike, and the sharp drop in maritime-freight expenses since peaking last year will contribute to an easing in price pressures.

Ana Monteiro | Bloomberg News
January 25, 2023
Business, Global Freight

Union Pacific Profit Disappoints After Costly Winter Storms

Union Pacific Corp. reported fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts’ estimates as disruptions from winter storms drove up costs.

Thomas Black | Bloomberg News
January 24, 2023
Business, Logistics, Global Freight, TCA

Port of Mobile Posts All-Time Container Shipping Figures in 2022

The Port of Mobile has set a new record for annual container traffic, beating the benchmark it set in 2021 by more than 11%.

Lawrence Specker | Alabama Media Group
January 20, 2023
Business, Logistics, Global Freight

Multiple Factors Turn California Ports Into ‘Dormant Volcano’

A year ago in early January, a record 109 containerships carrying U.S. imports surrounded the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. — as of today, the queue is gone.

Laura Curtis | Bloomberg News
January 11, 2023
Business, Logistics, Global Freight

Labor Disruptions at Ports Quadrupled Globally in 2022

Labor unrest took an unusually heavy toll on ports around the world in 2022, and the outlook for continued economic instability could bring even more upheaval to global supply chains in 2023.

Ann Koh | Bloomberg News
January 10, 2023
Government, Business, Logistics, Global Freight

Fresh Fragility in Global Trade Set to Be Revealed in 2023

Since 2020, a pandemic-fueled supply crunch, Russia’s war with Ukraine, and a deepening rift in the U.S.-China trade relationship have hammered home the idea that the world needs more resilient trade networks.

Bryce Baschuk | Bloomberg News
January 3, 2023
Government, Business, Equipment, Logistics, Global Freight

Shipping Insurers Back Off of Russia-Ukraine Trade

A host of shipping insurers altered their policies for 2023 to exclude claims linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, a further sign of the industry’s growing concerns about losses stemming from the conflict.

December 28, 2022
Business, For-Hire, Global Freight

FedEx Profit Tops Estimates as Higher Prices Offset Decline in Shipments

FedEx Corp. on Dec. 20 reported fiscal-year, second-quarter income that beat Wall Street expectations and revenue that fell below expectations.

Dan Ronan | Senior Reporter
December 21, 2022
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