Shanghai’s combined container operations are on track to become the first port in the world to handle over 50 million TEUs in a single year, city officials reported on Tuesday. This achievement underscores China’s ongoing efforts to enhance global exports and aligns with a strategic plan aiming for the port to handle 65 million TEUs by 2035.
This year marks the 14th consecutive year that Shanghai has been ranked as the world’s largest port. Since surpassing Singapore in 2010, Shanghai has steadily increased its lead, handling 26% more container volume in 2023 compared to Singapore, which remains the second-largest port globally. In 2023, Shanghai managed 49.16 million TEUs, an increase of 1.7 million TEUs, or 3.6%.
“Shanghai will become the world’s first city to break through the 50 million TEU threshold,” Mayor Gong Zheng stated at the North Bund Forum, as reported by the South China Morning Post. The forum, hosted by city officials and the Ministry of Transport, emphasized continued resource allocation to transform Shanghai into an international shipping hub.
By the end of the first nine months of 2024, Shanghai reported handling just over 39 million TEUs, reflecting an 8% increase from the previous year. This uptick is consistent with reports from global ports indicating rising container volumes.
For example, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California have both reported record volumes in recent months. Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, noted that 45% of the port's volume originates from China.
During the conference, aimed at promoting global trade, officials announced a new memorandum of cooperation between Shanghai and the Ministry of Transport to enhance the city's status as a leading international shipping center. Efforts will focus on upgrading shipping services and promoting sustainable and smart shipping practices. They highlighted the planned 2025 launch of a facility capable of producing 70,000 to 100,000 tonnes of green methanol from food waste as an example of green initiatives. Additionally, Shanghai is expected to take the lead in digitalization within the shipping industry.
Expansion is ongoing in the three primary areas of the Shanghai port complex: Yangshan, Waigaoqiao, and Wusong. The port currently features 49 container berths, 176 container gantry cranes, and a container yard spanning 7.58 million square meters (nearly 1,900 acres).
According to the South China Morning Post, automation has been a crucial factor in the port's sustained growth, with the use of “hundreds of automated vehicles” for loading, discharging, and transporting containers around the clock.
Last year, China boasted five of the six busiest ports in the world. In addition to Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan handled over 35 million TEUs. Collectively, these five ports processed more than 168 million TEUs in 2023.