Nigeria’s Tin Can Island Port and Lagos Port (Apapa) have emerged among the world’s top 20 most improved container ports over the last five years, according to the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI).

The CPPI report, which is the sixth edition, evaluates container port performance based on vessel turnaround time and operational efficiency using global benchmark.

The report, compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence MD released yesterday, ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th globally among ports that posted the highest improvements between 2020 and 2025, while Lagos Port was 12th on the list.

Data from the report showed that Tin Can Island Port improved its CPPI score by 42 points, moving from a score of -68 in 2020 to -26 in 2025, while Lagos Port also recorded a notable improvement of 35 points, rising from -61 in 2020 to -26 in 2025.

The performance placed Nigeria among a select group of countries that have made substantial progress in enhancing vessel turnaround times, port efficiency and cargo handling operations over the five-year period.

Nigeria outperformed several major ports in the global improvement rankings, including France’s Marseille Port, which ranked 11th with a 39-point improvement; Türkiye’s Iskenderun Port, which placed 13th with a 34-point increase; and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which ranked 14th with a 32-point gain.

Peru’s Paita Port occupied 15th position with 32 points, while China’s Keelung and Fuzhou ports shared 16th and 17th positions respectively, recording 27 points each.

Other ports on the list include the United States’ Philadelphia Port, which ranked 18th with 26 points; Brazil’s Itapoa Port in 19th place with 23 points; and Egypt’s Port Said, which placed 20th with a 21-point improvement.

South Africa’s Port Elizabeth topped the global improvement rankings, recording an 80-point increase, Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port followed with a 75-point improvement, while Ecuador’s Posorja ranked third with a 70-point gain and Sweden’s Göteborg Port placed fourth with 68 points.

Other ports that featured prominently on the list include Pakistan’s Muhammad Bin Qasim Port and Vietnam’s Haiphong Port, which ranked fifth and sixth respectively with 52 points each.

Italy’s Savona-Vado Port and China’s Mawan Port occupied seventh and eighth positions with 51 points apiece, while Japan’s Kobe Port ranked ninth with 48 points.

The report also highlights the exposure of ports to global supply chain disruptions, noting that recent years have seen repeated shocks arising from pandemic-related volatility, geopolitical tension and rerouting, and climate-related events.

These disruptions, the report stated, affect vessel arrival patterns, create congestion and lengthen time spent in port.

The report stated that the time vessels spend in ports has emerged as a key indicator of supply chain efficiency and resilience, stressing that well-performing ports not only enhance competitiveness but also determine how effectively supply chains can absorb and recover from disruptions.

The report further noted that while port performance itself influences supply chain stress, longer turnaround times reduce effective shipping capacity and propagate delays across global networks, reinforcing volatility.

In the foreword to the report signed by the World Bank Group Director, Transport and Logistics, Bertrand De la Borde and the Vice-President and Head of Maritime & Journal of Commerce at S&P Global Market Intelligence, Guy Sear, supply chain disruptions often manifest in ports through vessel bunching, schedule unreliability and congestion, while prolonged vessel stays in ports further exacerbate delays and reduce available shipping capacity across global networks.

They noted that the CPPI measures how long container ships spend in port, capturing the combined effects of nautical access, berth availability, cargo handling productivity, yard operations and coordination among stakeholders.

According to them, by relying on actual vessel call data rather than self-reported indicators, the CPPI reflects how ports operate within real global shipping networks and provides a consistent basis for benchmarking performance.