PTI is continuing its series showcasing the largest and most efficient ports worldwide. In this article, we have ranked the top busiest ports in China for 2023.
China’s maritime sector has yet again enjoyed an incredibly successful and active year. The total container throughput of all Chinese ports during the first 10 months of 2023 stood at 257 million TEU, indicating a 4.9 per cent increase from the throughput of 2022.
This year’s container handling data provides a clear indication of which ports will take the lead in 2024.
5. Port of Guangzhou – 20.8 million TEU
Guangzhou Port has maintained its place as the fifth busiest port in China for the second consecutive year.
The Guangdong Province port handled 20.78 million TEU in 2023, reflecting a rise of 2.5 per cent from 2022. Out of the ports on this list that have increased their throughput in 2023 from the year before, the Port of Guangzhou recorded the smallest percentage increase.
In October 2023, the Guangzhou Port Group (GPG) invested in a new berth in the Nansha port area to create an annual additional capacity of half a million TEU.
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4. Port of Qingdao – 23.9 million TEU
The Port of Qingdao also maintained its position on the list as the fourth busiest Chinese port for the second consecutive year.
The Yellow Sea port moved 23.89 million TEU in 2023, representing a year-on-year (YoY) rise of 11.7 per cent. The Port of Qingdao is the fastest growing port on this list and it is, overall, one of the fastest growing ports in China.
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3. Port of Shenzhen – 24 million TEU
The Port of Shenzhen achieved third place for the second consecutive year, despite recording a 0.5 per cent decrease from the same period in 2022, handling 24 million TEU in the first 10 months of 2023.
The Port of Shenzhen is the only port in China on this list to have slowed down its TEU growth in comparison to last year.
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Shenzhen, regarded as among China’s key economic hubs, is reportedly hastening its development as an international logistics centre.
2. Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan – 30.2 million TEU
The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan has ranked third busiest port in China in our list for the third consecutive year.
Located in the Zhejiang Province, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan handled a total of 30.20 million TEU between January to October, 2023, representing a YoY increase of 4.5 per cent.
The port particularly excelled in the month of October, having recorded a remarkable 14.4 per cent YoY growth in TEU.
Additionally, late last year, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan opened a new transport service to export new energy vehicles (NEVs). In regards to the new service, state media outlet, Xinhua, lauded the port in China’s Zhejiang Province as a new passage for NEVs via a sea-rail intermodal container transport service.
1. Port of Shanghai – 40.2 million TEU
The Port of Shanghai, yet again, stands out as the benchmark for China’s maritime industry, securing the top position on our list of Chinese ports.
The Port of Shanghai, which ranked first in PTI’s 2021 and 2022 list, managed an impressive 40.20 million TEU in the period between January and October of 2023, showing a 2.8 per cent YoY growth.
Despite the ports overall positive trajectory, during the first two months of 2023, Shanghai’s growth rate in TEU volumes decreased from its previous record levels by 8.6 per cent from January to February.
The Port of Shanghai has also made significant strides towards achieving its sustainability targets in the past year. Earlier this year, A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) on strategic cooperation for Shanghai port’s methanol marine fuel project.
