Analysis of the 2026‑Q2 Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI), published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), indicates that recent network recalibrations have seemingly transitioned from reactionary measures into permanent structural baselines.

Shipping lines are actively reorganizing port connectivity by concentrating on regional relay ports and specific export gateways, while simultaneously cutting back on the routes that were previously built up around major transshipment hubs.

This network dispersion away from primary hubs is accelerating a correction at the world's largest export load centres. The major Straits transshipment hubs (Port Klang, Tanjung Pelepas, and Singapore) had already absorbed massive structural volumes throughout the 2024 and 2025 supply chain crises. Now, with secondary Indian and Middle Eastern gateways successfully absorbing the latest wave of relay cargo, shipping lines have the operational breathing space needed to finally optimize these eastern networks, resulting in a synchronized connectivity decline across the Straits.

Singapore, after peaking at 1,877 in 2025‑Q4, dropped to 1,834 in 2026‑Q2. The Malaysian alternatives are experiencing sharper contractions as network planners remove redundant transshipment strings. Port Klang fell from a peak of 1,133 in 2025‑Q4 down to 1,076 in 2026‑Q2, representing a ‑5.0% drop. Tanjung Pelepas mirrored this contraction, dropping ‑7.1% from its 2025‑Q1 peak of 609 down to 565 in the latest quarter. Even the absolute largest Chinese gateways are currently shedding connectivity, with Shanghai and Ningbo experiencing Q/Q connectivity drops of ‑2.0% and ‑2.2%, respectively, in 2026‑Q2.

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 All quotes can be attributed to: Alan Murphy, CEO, Sea-Intelligence.
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