The Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) scrutinised the fine tuning under liner shipping’s bonnet and found that successive crises during this decade have had a fundamental impact on trading patterns.
Developed jointly by UN trade body, UNCTAD, and MDS Transmodal, the PLSCI measures how well ports are integrated into global liner networks across six components, including scheduled services, shipping companies, deployed capacity, and direct connections.
The Red Sea crisis triggered a widespread structural redesign in global trading that has stabilised at the top, most connected ports, while the dynamism is seen in the less-established facilities, reflecting the major shifts in trading patterns.“Increasingly important changes in connectivity now reflect how networks are refined, rather than whether they are being fundamentally redrawn,” said MDS Transmodal’s senior analyst Antonella Teodoro.
One major change in trading patterns has been the growth in sub-Saharan connections since the disruption caused by the effective closure of the Red Sea and Suez Canal to most traffic in the latter part of 2023.
“Scheduled capacity offered to Sub-Saharan Africa has increased significantly over the past three years, underlining the region’s growing strategic importance within global liner networks. Between July 2023 and July 2026, each of the 10 largest operators serving Sub-Saharan Africa increased the capacity they offer to the region, although growth rates varied considerably,” said Teodoro.