Greece’s Piraeus ranks itself as the 5th largest container port, holding that position despite the severe disruptions caused by attacks in the Red Sea and the extensive rerouting of vessels around Africa.
The referred diversion temporarily weakened its long-standing advantage of proximity to the Suez Canal. However, Piraeus’s overall performance displayed resiliency. During the coming months, shipping lines are expected to restore Red Sea transits gradually.
Across Northern Europe, the three largest hubs tend to be Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges, and Hamburg, which tend to dominate by a considerable margin.
According to PortEconomics, Hamburg delivered the strongest performance among the other 2 referred to in early 2025. Hamburg recorded a rise of roughly 9.3% in container throughput, overtaking both Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges in growth terms.
This shift reflects how evolving shipping alliances with renewed flows from Asia and favoured ports with deep hinterland connections, besides flexible inland rail links, score higher than others.
Meanwhile, Rotterdam posted stable container volumes, up 3% with a quantum that exceeded 10.7 million TEU. This was despite an overall decline in total cargo due to lower iron ore besides petroleum traffic.
Antwerp-Bruges also recorded a similar performance. While total traffic contracted by 3.8%, container flows rose by 1.6%, following a period of turbulence caused by the dissolution of old shipping alliances.
Moving further south, the Spanish port Valencia continued its steady ascent, recording a 3.6% increase in TEU. It sustained China as its most significant trading partner.
Vehicle movements remained static. This reinforced Valencia’s diversified position even as total cargo edged slightly lower. Analyses in ADAR’s overview of Europe’s largest port reflect a much broader view of recent Mediterranean trends.
Nearby, in 2024, container traffic at Greece’s Piraeus increased by 1.66%. Pier 1 was the primary driver of this growth. Volumes surged by 32% through expanded cooperation with MSC.
Conversely, COSCO operated Piraeus piers 2 & 3, which slipped 2.4% as the rerouting of Asia-Europe services around the Cape of Good Hope altered Mediterranean transhipment pattern activities.
Public data places Piraeus’s total throughput near 4.79 million TEU. This validates Piraeus’ position in Europe as one of the top five leagues. The effect of the Red Sea disruption on Piraeus’s ranking tends to be highlighted in GTP’s reporting.
These developments often reflect a wider global recovery. Lloyd’s List review of the world’s top 100 container ports tends to reflect aggregated throughput rising again during 2025. This upward trend comes after several subdued years, which may indicate a cautious rebound in world trade.
Ports able to adjust quickly to shifting logistic patterns tend to capture a disproportionate share of returning traffic. This is regardless of whether it is weathered through hinterland integration, digital infrastructure, or even operational agility.
Mediterranean ports tend to remain more exposed to geopolitical volatility, although their emphasis on fundamentals remains intact. Should shipping lines resume the shorter Red Sea-Suez optional route during the months ahead, flows through Piraeus, besides neighbouring hubs, are likely to increase again.
This shifting landscape is predicted to carry strategic weight for Cyprus.
Cyprus may not compete directly in container volumes. However, it plays a central role in European shipping. It is one of the continent’s largest registries and a leading shipping management centre.
Over the last two years, the Cyprus Ship Registry has reflected growth by roughly 20% in gross tonnage. Cyprus achieved its highest gross tonnage in the last two decades.
An analysis during the 15 months from September 2023 to the end of 2024 showed the flag expanded by around 18%. This increase consisted of 198 new vessels registered and a total gross tonnage that surpassed 25 million.
Interest in the Cyprus Tonnage Tax System also increases with the number of companies enrolled, rising to around 15%.
