As part of PTI’s exclusive coverage of the largest, busiest and most efficient ports worldwide, we bring you our latest and yearly edition of the top five ports in China for 2024.
Without skipping a beat, China’s maritime sector yet again enjoyed a tremendously successful year. The container throughput at 12 major Chinese ports amounted to 276.4 million TEUs from January to October of 2024, representing a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 7.6 per cent.
In this article, we will examine and celebrate more closely the five busiest ports in China in 2024.
5. Port of Guangzhou – 21.75 million TEUs
The Port of Guangzhou ranked as the fifth busiest port in China, maintaining its place in the top five for the third consecutive year.
The Guangdong Province port handled 21.75 million TEUs from January to October 2024, reflecting a growth of 4.7 per cent from 2023. While this represents the smallest annual growth of all the ports in this list, it is a 2.2 per cent increase from the 2.5 per cent annual growth achieved in 2023.
Earlier this year, Piraeus Port (PPA S.A.) entered a partnership with the Port of Guangzhou. In this partnership, the governing bodies of both ports committed to establishing a lasting alliance that anticipates present and future challenges. The two ports aim to escalate their green investments and innovative solutions to minimise carbon emissions.
4. Port of Qingdao – 25.76 million TEUs
The Port of Qingdao achieves fourth place on our list of busiest Chinese ports for the third consecutive year.
The Yellow Sea port moved 25.76 million TEUs in the first 10 months of 2024, positing a YoY growth of 7.8 per cent. Despite its growth, its throughput in the first 10 months of 2024 has decelerated by 4 per cent from the 11.7 per cent increase achieved in 2023.
READ: China’s container trade suffers supply-demand imbalance
3. Port of Shenzhen – 27.66 million TEUs
Coming into our top three is the Port of Shenzhen, which maintains its place for the third consecutive year.
After experiencing a dip in performance last year, albeit slight, the Port of Shenzhen’s throughput of 27.66 million TEUs from January to October represents a 14.9 per cent YoY increase.
The port has also accelerated its efforts towards decarbonisation. Earlier this September, the Port of Long Beach, and Shenzhen Port Group, along with multiple partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to decarbonise ocean trade.
2. Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan – 32.83 million TEUs
The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan ranks second in our list of busiest ports for the fourth consecutive year.
Located in the Zhejiang Province, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan handled a total of 32.8 million TEUs between January to October, positing a YoY increase of 8.8 per cent.
Earlier this month, Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group (NZPG) hosted a conference in China to discuss best practices and explore new ways for shore power consumption.
READ: Container explodes on ship docked at Ningbo-Zhoushan
1. Port of Shanghai – 43.25 million TEUs
The Port of Shanghai reigns victorious again in 2024, maintaining its leading position in PTI’s list of the top Chinese ports for the fourth consecutive year and the world’s number one.
The port recorded an impressive 43.25 million TEUs between January and October, achieving an annual growth in its container volume of 7.6 per cent.
READ: Shanghai sets sights on surpassing own TEU record
Unlike last year, the Port of Shanghai started 2024 strong having reached 76.7 million TEU in the first quarter of 2024, marking a 10 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
The port has continued its pursuit towards decarbonisation this year. Earlier this October, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Shanghai Green Shipping Corridor partners published their first Annual Progress Report at the North Bund International Shipping Forum, which outlines progress made by the Partnership in the last 12 months on the way to zero lifecycle carbon emission containerships.
The port has also attracted outside cooperation from shippers, as Earlier this February, Maersk announced it would use Shanghai as its new global gateway for Less-than-Container-Load (LCL) shipments. This development reportedly includes the addition of over 50 additional trade lanes that connect to and from Shanghai, resulting in over 200 direct LCL routes enabled by the Shanghai port.
