The world’s largest and busiest ports handle significant amounts of cargo every year. This involves much co-ordination and organisation to ensure that containers are moved in and out of the port as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Below are the top 10 busiest ports in the world by TEU volume, according to Forbes:
10. Tianjin port, China
In 2013, Tianjin port took just over 13 million TEU, which is a clear 700,000 TEU more than the previous year.
(Source: Forbes)
9. Jebel Ali Port, Dubai
Jebel Ali handled some 13.64 million TEU in 2013. Work is currently being carried out at Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi to develop its capacity too.
(Source: All About Shipping)
8. Port of Guangzhou, China
15.31 million TEU was handled by Guangzhou in 2013, up from 14.74 million TEU in 2012.
(Source: Forbes)
7. Qingdao, China
Qingdao handled 15.52 million TEU in 2013, a massive increase from the 14.5 million figure reocorded in 2012.
(Source: Sea News)
6. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, China
The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled 17.33 million TEU in 2013, up from the 16.83 million in 2012.
(Source: Forbes)
5. Busan Port, South Korea
2013 saw enormous TEU volumes of 17.69 million TEU, up from the 17.04 million in 2012.
(Source: Hafen Hamburg)
4. Hong Kong
Previously, the Port of Hong Kong was the largest of China’s ports by TEU volume, according to Forbes. However, volumes began to decrease as more ships were re-routed to Northern China. In 2013, 22.35 million TEU were handled at Hong Kong’s port, down from 23.12 million in 2012.
(Source: Forbes)
3. Shenzhen
Shenzhen is the second largest Chinese port. 23.28 million TEU were handled in 2013, up from 22.94 million in 2012.
(Source: Chec.bj.cn)
2. Singapore
In 2013, the Port of Singapore recorded 32.63 million TEU compared with the 31.65 million in 2012 and 29.94 million TEU in 2011.
(Source: Forbes)
The busiest port in the world
The largest port in the world by TEU volume is the Port of Shanghai. In terms of size, it is the equivalent of 470 football fields, according to the Daily Mail. It handled 33.62 million TEU in 2013, up from 32.53 million in 2012.
See below for the video of the Port of Shanghai:
(Source: value added europe (YouTube))
