Djibouti and Mogadishu Led East African Port Rankings in 2025
Shifting regional port efficiencies reveal which logistics hubs are best positioned for operators managing supply chains.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Transportation
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The World Bank identified Djibouti and Mogadishu as the top-performing ports in the East and Horn of Africa for 2025. These rankings reflect operational efficiency across 400 global container ports as vessels faced significant rerouting challenges.
Why it matters
The 2025 Red Sea crisis forced vessel rerouting that added 10 to 14 days to journey times, creating major bottlenecks that highlight which regional hubs maintain reliable throughput. Operators must evaluate port performance metrics to manage cargo lead times effectively in a volatile shipping environment.
The World Bank evaluated 400 global container ports, placing Djibouti at 53rd and Mogadishu at 127th worldwide. Mogadishu recently expanded its annual capacity to 250,000 TEUs and shifted to 24-hour operations to mitigate delays.
The players
World Bank
An international financial institution that provides financing, advice, and research to developing nations to support economic development and infrastructure improvement.
Mogadishu Port
A critical maritime gateway in Somalia that recently increased its container-handling capacity to 250,000 TEUs and implemented 24-hour operations.
Djibouti Port
A strategic maritime hub located at the mouth of the Red Sea that serves as a primary regional point for international cargo transit.
The details
The Container Port Performance Index measures efficiency by calculating the time container ships spend in port relative to vessel size and cargo volume. While regional hubs like Mombasa suffered from administrative and landside bottlenecks during the 2025 shipping crisis, Mogadishu’s move to round-the-clock operations and terminal expansion helped it secure a higher relative ranking. These metrics are critical for operators as they assess which regional gateways can best absorb the costs and time delays inherent in current global maritime routes.
Timeline
2024: Lamu Port was excluded from the global port ranking.
2024-2025: Regional shipping routes were disrupted by the Red Sea crisis.
2025: The World Bank released its latest container port performance rankings.
2025: Mogadishu Port opened a new container terminal.
Market Landscape
The World Bank Container Port Performance Index serves as the primary benchmark for assessing how regional infrastructure withstands global shipping volatility. These rankings extend the existing pattern of using vessel-port time data to highlight discrepancies in operational throughput across East African hubs.
Operators should review current freight contracts to determine if port-specific bottlenecks in regions like Mombasa are being passed through as surcharges. Diversifying regional port usage toward higher-ranked facilities like Djibouti or the upgraded Mogadishu may help stabilize lead times.
The takeaway
Regional port rankings provide a clear indicator of which hubs have successfully modernized their throughput to handle 2025 shipping disruptions. Operators should monitor the annual performance index to adjust their logistics strategies when choosing preferred regional transit points.
Further reading
For broader trends in infrastructure, see Transportation.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Star.
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