KUALA LUMPUR – Port Klang has entered the ranks of the world’s ten busiest container ports for the first time, marking a major milestone for Malaysia’s maritime sector as the port continues to climb global rankings and record steady volume growth.
Ranked tenth in Lloyd’s List’s Top 100 Ports, Port Klang overtook Hong Kong to secure its new position, underscoring its emergence as a regional powerhouse.
The list, compiled annually by the London-based maritime publication, placed Shanghai, Singapore and Ningbo-Zhoushan in the top three.
Port Klang handled 14.64 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, up 4.1% from 14.06 million the previous year.
The port has steadily advanced in global standings in recent years, rising from 13th place in 2022 to 11th in 2023 before breaking into the top 10 this year. The Transport Ministry projects further growth to 14.98 million TEUs in 2025.
In a statement today, the Transport Ministry highlighted that the achievement comes as Malaysia celebrates its 68th National Day, framing the recognition as a symbol of “resilience, unity, and progress on the international stage.”
Growth at Port Klang has been buoyed by an 8.9% jump in import and export activities, reflecting Malaysia’s strong trade fundamentals.
Large-scale infrastructure projects are also driving momentum. Westports is expanding its CT10–CT17 terminals to double handling capacity from 14 million TEUs to 28 million TEUs by 2028, while Northport is upgrading Wharf 9 to manage larger vessels and higher cargo volumes.
Looking further ahead, the Carey Island Project is set to transform the region’s role in global trade, with potential capacity of up to 30 million TEUs by 2060.
Malaysia’s rise in global port rankings is reinforced by the performance of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), which maintained its position at 15th worldwide while recording a 16.9% increase in throughput to 12.25 million TEUs in 2024.
Combined, Port Klang and PTP made Malaysia the world’s fifth-largest country by container throughput last year, strengthening its position along the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. — September 1, 2025