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. |
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2022 saw an eastern shift in North American ocean freight, while airfreight dipped across the continent.
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Learn more about Transport Topics’ Top 50 Global Freight Companies publication.
DSV Reported to Be in Advanced Talks to Buy DB Schenker
DSV A/S is in advanced talks to acquire Deutsche Bahn AG’s logistics unit DB Schenker in a $15.4 billion deal, people with knowledge of the matter said.
September 11, 2024USPS to End Discounts for Consolidators Including UPS, DHL
The U.S. Postal Service said Sept. 11 that it is ending discounts that shipping consolidators such as UPS and DHL use to get packages to the nation’s doorsteps.
September 11, 2024MSC CEO Soren Toft Rules Out New Shipping Alliance
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. plans to brave volatile shipping markets on its own, ruling out a new alliance just months before its partnership with A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S ends.
September 10, 2024CVC Presses Case for Schenker Bid to Deutsche Bahn Officials
CVC Capital Partners is pressing the case for its takeover bid for Deutsche Bahn AG’s logistics arm DB Schenker with a fresh appeal to top officials at the German state-owned transport group.
September 9, 2024US Port Talks Kick Off in Effort to Avoid Strike
The union representing East and Gulf coast dockworkers kicks off a two-day meeting Sept. 4 in New Jersey to discuss wage demands with port employers under the threat of a disruptive strike.
September 4, 2024Container Carrier Profits Soar on Record Volumes, High Rates
The global container shipping industry saw profits surge to more than $10 billion in the second quarter on record volumes and rising freight rates after Red Sea diversions.
September 3, 2024Private Equity Gets Rare Support From Union on Schenker Sale
Verdi, Germany’s most powerful labor union, is making the unusual move of backing a private equity firm’s bid for Deutsche Bahn’s planned $15.5 billion sale of its Schenker logistics arm.
August 30, 2024CVC and DSV Compete in $15.6B Bid for DB Schenker Unit
Deutsche Bahn is currently evaluating the final offers and needs to discuss with the government on CVC’s proposal.
August 23, 2024DSV Orders 300 Electric Trucks in Major Volvo Deal
Logistics firm DSV plans to buy 300 electric heavy trucks from Volvo AB in what would be one of the largest commercial orders to date for the Swedish manufacturer’s battery-powered rigs.
August 23, 2024Will Amazon’s AI Bet Pay Off?
More than any of the megacap technology stocks, Amazon.com Inc.’s big-spending ways are coming at the expense of profits, and its shares are being punished as a result.
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