COSCO SHIPPING Ports: Overseas Terminal Throughput Up 19.9% in Q3 2026

COSCO SHIPPING Ports reported that its overseas terminals handled 10,979,700 TEU during the third quarter of 2026, representing a 19.9% year-on-year increase. According to the company, this growth is mainly explained by the addition of new terminals to its international network.

Excluding the effect of recently added terminals, overseas throughput growth was 2.4% for the quarter. Gains recorded at Antwerp Gateway, the Suez Canal and Piraeus managed to offset a sharp 76.4% drop at Abu Dhabi. A subsequent analysis noted that the company's overseas terminal portfolio is outperforming its broader network in 2026, although the overall figures mask significant differences between individual terminals.

In a separate monthly report, COSCO Shipping Ports detailed that in September 2026 its terminals handled 11.04 million TEU, a 15.7% year-on-year increase. Between January and September, cumulative throughput reached 93.91 million TEU, 8.5% more than in the same period of 2025, driven mainly by international operations and terminals in southern China.

International terminals handled 3.56 million TEU in September, up 20.7%, accumulating 31.48 million TEU between January and September, an 18.9% year-on-year increase. Within that portfolio, Piraeus Container Terminal moved 366,600 TEU in September, up 15.3%, Antwerp Gateway rose 14.6% and Red Sea Gateway Terminal grew 27.6%. By contrast, CSP Abu Dhabi recorded one of the steepest declines, with a monthly drop of 68.9%.

In Latin America, CSP Chancay Terminal handled 46,700 TEU in September, 25% more than a year earlier, with a cumulative total of 341,400 TEU, equivalent to year-on-year growth of 47.3%. Part of the overall increase is explained by the addition of new operations to the scope of the report, such as Laem Chabang and Red Sea Container Terminals, which were not part of the comparable base in September 2025.