Global Port Infrastructure Sufficiency Index: Results of the pilot phase

27th October 2023

Maritime transport handles over 80% of global merchandise volume, making ports essential to global trade and economy. They've evolved into multifunctional hubs, fostering economic growth in their respective regions. In 2022, over 900 ports were servicing global liner shipping networks, handling 171-million n 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containerized trade and generating over 800-million TEU of world containerized port traffic.

Given ports' pivotal role in global trade, monitoring their performance is vital for trade efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goals, and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement have also emphasized the need for all economic sectors, including maritime transport to monitor and measure performance and track progress towards the achievement of relevant economic, social, and environmental targets.

This report was prepared as part of the Korean Maritime Institute’s project to develop a Global Port Infrastructure Sufficiency Index (PISI), which was launched in 2019 and implemented in collaboration with UNCTAD.

The PISI has three main components: punctuality, safety and security, and digitalization.

This report highlights the findings from Phase 2 of the project, when the index was piloted across selected world container port terminals.

The piloting of the PSIS relied on two distinct data and maritime intelligence sources:

  1. The Automated Identification System data (AIS) on vessel port calls and time spent in ports
  2. A survey questionnaire elaborated by the Korean Maritime Institute in collaboration with UNCTAD, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The AIS data allowed for assessing punctuality (vessel time) while the survey questionnaire focused on safety and security, and digitalization.

The survey was launched in November 2022 and concluded in April 2023.

Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development