Container throughput at Terminals II and III at the port of Piraeus rose by 15.3% in September, despite many containerships continuing to divert around the Suez Canal.
However, an increase in calls at Greece’s largest port via the Mediterranean, together with the expected arrival of the first vessel via the Suez Canal in the final 10 days of October, following the Red Sea crisis, is creating new prospects for further cargo recovery at the port. According to Clarksons Research, weekly container traffic through the Suez Canal reached 753,000 TEUs in the first two weeks of October. However, this remained almost 48% below the level recorded in the corresponding period of 2023, when it stood at 1.46 million TEUs.
The recovery is reflected in the latest figures from COSCO Shipping Ports for Terminals II and III at the Piraeus Container Terminal, operated by Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT). In September 2026, throughput reached approximately 367,000 TEUs, compared with 318,000 TEUs in the same month of 2025, representing an increase of 15.3%, according to company data. This marks a significant improvement in activity, reinforcing the signs of recovery that had begun to emerge in previous months.
Terminal I
Signs of improvement have also been recorded at Terminal I, operated by Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), according to information obtained by Naftemporiki.
Activity is showing signs of returning to normal, despite ongoing upgrades to port infrastructure, which are scheduled for completion in 2027.
The recovery takes on added significance given the substantial losses recorded in the first half of 2026. During that period, throughput at Terminal I fell to 241,290 TEUs, from 393,876 TEUs in the corresponding half of 2025, a decline of 38.7%.
However, according to Naftemporiki sources, the picture has begun to change considerably, with monthly throughput rising by approximately 25%, from around 40,000 TEUs to approximately 50,000 TEUs. This points to a gradual recovery in activity.
COSCO’s international network
Meanwhile, COSCO Shipping Ports is reporting particularly strong performance internationally, with increased cargo flows recorded across its 38 terminals worldwide.
According to company data, total throughput across its international portfolio rose by 15.7% in September 2026. Container volumes reached approximately 11 million TEUs, compared with 9.5 million TEUs in the corresponding month of 2025.
Similarly, the company’s overseas port facilities continued to grow, with throughput increasing by 20.7% year on year, underlining the significant contribution of its international operations to the group’s growth.
In January–September, total throughput across COSCO Shipping Ports’ 38 ports reached approximately 94 million TEUs, compared with 86.5 million TEUs in the corresponding period of 2025, up 8.5%.
Nine-month throughput returns to growth
The positive trend in container throughput at the port of Piraeus is now also reflected in the nine-month figures. Specifically, throughput at Terminals II and III reached 3.085 million TEUs in January–September 2026, compared with 3.033 million TEUs in the same period a year earlier, marking an increase of 1.7%.
This brings nine-month throughput back in positive territory, despite the pressure on activity early in the year as international shipping routes and flows were reshaped.
Source: Naftemporiki