Container traffic at the Port of Piraeus remained resilient in the first half of 2026 despite mounting disruption to global shipping caused by the ongoing Red Sea crisis and renewed security threats affecting major liner operators.
The latest warning issued by Yemen’s Houthi movement extends to all commercial vessels calling at Saudi Arabian ports, including container ships, prompting shipping companies to reassess services to ports such as Jeddah and Yanbu. Under the announcement, vessels may remain potential targets even after departing Saudi terminals.
As a result, most container ships continue to avoid the Red Sea, opting instead for the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope on voyages to the Mediterranean and Europe.
Despite the challenging geopolitical environment, the Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT), which operates Piers II and III at Greece’s largest port, continued to handle high cargo volumes.
According to COSCO Shipping Ports, Piers II and III handled 366,900 TEUs in June, down from 380,600 TEUs in the same month of 2025, a year-on-year decline of 3.6%.
In January-June, throughput reached 1.995 million TEUs, compared with 2.054 million TEUs a year earlier, representing a 2.9% decrease.
COSCO posts strong global growth
COSCO Shipping ports continued to report robust growth across its global network.
The Chinese port operator said container throughput across its portfolio of 38 ports increased 6% to 10.5 million TEU in June.
In the first six months of 2026, total throughput rose 8.2% to 61.3 million TEUs from 56.6 million TEUs in the corresponding period last year.
Within China, terminals along the country’s southeastern coast posted an 8.1% annual increase in throughput, while overseas terminals recorded even stronger growth of 17.3%.
China launches new five-year port modernization plan
China has launched a new five-year plan covering 2026-2030 to modernize its ports of entry, focusing on upgrading customs infrastructure, digital systems and multimodal transport connections.
The plan, approved by the State Council, includes investments in inspection facilities, cargo storage areas, transshipment infrastructure and distribution networks. It also aims to expand container handling capacity and improve integration between maritime, rail and road transport.
The “smart ports” initiative covers major gateways including Tianjin, Dalian, Ningbo, Qingdao and Guangzhou.
The strategy also calls for the consolidation or closure of underperforming ports with overlapping functions, as China seeks to establish a world-class national port system by 2035.
Source: Naftemporiki