Liner networks shift away from Asia’s mega hubs

According to analysis by Sea-Intelligence of the latest UNCTAD Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI), what began as a series of crisis-driven network adjustments during the Red Sea disruption has evolved into a more permanent restructuring of liner networks.   Rather than concentrating services around mega-hubs such as Singapore, Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, carriers are increasingly routing cargo through secondary relay ports and export gateways closer to manufacturing centres.   “The 2026-Q2 PLSCI data underscores a definitive network recalibration,” Sea-Intelligence said. “Shipping lines are seemingly moving beyond initial crisis management into active network decentralization.”   The shift is evident across Asia and the Middle East.

Singapore’s connectivity index has slipped from a peak of 1,876.95 in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 1,833.94 in the latest quarter. Malaysia’s two largest transhipment hubs have experienced sharper declines, with Port Klang down 5% from its recent peak and Tanjung Pelepas falling more than 7%.

Even China’s largest gateways are feeling the change, with Shanghai and Ningbo both recording quarter-on-quarter declines in connectivity.   The beneficiaries are a growing number of secondary ports.   Haiphong has emerged as one of the biggest winners, with connectivity climbing to 690.29 in the second quarter, including a 5.1% increase over the previous three months. Sea-Intelligence argues the Vietnamese port is benefiting directly from China+1 manufacturing strategies and its close integration with southern Chinese supply chains.

Elsewhere, Laem Chabang in Thailand, Pipavav, Ennore and Visakhapatnam in India, and Djibouti in East Africa have all recorded notable gains as carriers spread relay cargo across a broader range of ports.   The Middle East tells a similar story.   While the prolonged Red Sea crisis has reduced reliance on traditional regional hubs, carriers have increasingly concentrated services around selected ports. Jeddah recorded a 14.9% quarter-on-quarter jump in connectivity, while Khor Fakkan posted a remarkable 189% increase. Fujairah, previously absent from the container connectivity rankings, has reappeared as carriers experiment with alternative relay options.   Sea-Intelligence argued in its latest weekly report that these changes are no longer temporary responses to geopolitical disruption.   “As primary transhipment nodes hit connectivity ceilings, shipping lines are actively shedding excess capacity at mega-hubs in favour of secondary regional relays and specific gateways that directly support cross-border supply chain diversification,” the consultancy said.

For decades, container shipping sought economies of scale by concentrating ever more cargo through a handful of giant hubs. The latest connectivity data suggests that strategy is being quietly reversed, with resilience, flexibility and proximity to manufacturing increasingly taking precedence over pure scale.