Singapore holds onto its position as the world’s leading maritime city in the 2026 Leading Maritime Cities (LMC) report from DNV and Menon Economics. Asian cities take three of the top five, with Shanghai second and Tokyo fifth, while European cities, London and Rotterdam, rank third and fourth respectively.

Having held the top position since the first edition of the report in 2015, Singapore combines large managed and owner-controlled fleets with a globally important port, strong liner connectivity, alternative-fuel bunkering capability and a wide range of maritime services.

Compiled by DNV and Menon Economics, the LMC report assesses which cities provide the strongest environment for maritime companies and professionals to connect, operate and grow. The report benchmarks each city across five pillars: Shipping, Maritime Finance and Law, Maritime Technology, Ports and Logistics, and Attractiveness and Competitiveness.

Singapore ranks first in three of the five pillars, retaining the top spot in Shipping, Ports and Logistics, and Attractiveness and Competitiveness, while placing third in Maritime Finance and Law and fourth in Maritime Technology.

A YEAR OF DISRUPTION
Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, CEO Maritime at DNV, said: "This has been a year of disruption and adjustment for the maritime industry. Faced with these challenges, the leading maritime cities have demonstrated that leadership is built not on a single activity, but on breadth. Their results reflect the strength of the maritime communities they have built and their ability to respond as the industry changes. Looking ahead, continued collaboration, investment and knowledge-sharing will be essential to build on this progress and advance the maritime industry together."

Dr Shahrin Osman, Global Business Development Leader, Maritime Advisory and co-author of the report, said: "Over time, the LMC has evolved from benchmarking where maritime activity is concentrated to assessing which cities are best positioned to combine maritime scale with capacity to adapt to changing industry conditions. Across the five pillars, the results show that there is no single model for maritime leadership. Cities compete from different positions, and their strengths reflect the role they play in the global maritime industry. Those that come out on top link infrastructure, commercial decision-making, specialist services, technology and talent into a single working cluster.”

SHIFT IN THE BALANCE OF MARITIME POWER
Dr Erik Jakobsen, Partner and Chair of Menon Economics, said: "The LMC ranking combines hard data with the judgement of maritime experts around the world. This year, that points to a shift in the balance of maritime power. Asia now holds three of the top five places, up from two in 2024. At the same time, established European hubs such as London and Rotterdam continue to demonstrate the importance of strong maritime services and port-industrial clusters. The expert assessment also points to further movement among the leading hubs over the next five years, with Dubai ranked third among the cities experts expect to lead the maritime sector.”

Now in its seventh edition, the study initially assessed more than 15,000 cities using objective maritime indicators to identify 50 candidates for the final ranking. These cities were then benchmarked using 48 objective and subjective indicators across five pillars. The assessment incorporates responses from more than 200 maritime industry experts globally.

The 2026 edition introduces new and updated indicators to reflect changes in the maritime industry and the factors shaping the competitiveness of maritime cities, including the energy transition, technology, talent and resilience. As the framework has evolved, changes in rankings compared with previous editions should be considered in the context of these methodological updates.