World's biggest ports are still growing

October 17, 2008

Ports are the most important logistical systems in a sense of global transport circulation and trade and significant representatives of a country’s or regions economic development. Global trade trends dictate continual growth of port’s throughput and sustainable development.

In last two decades, a significant phenomenon has been occurring in international trade and that is huge economical growth of Far East countries (China, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan). The outstanding phenomenon is certainly China with highest annual economical growth that’s why China also leads among busiest ports of the world.

Port of Shanghai

Shanghai leads with 560 million tons of handled cargo in the year 2007. Port Singapore handled 483,4 million tons and following biggest European port Rotterdam with 406,9 million tons of handled cargo. In container throughput, leaders start in opposite direction with Singapore on top (27,9 million TEUs) and Shanghai (26,15 million TEUs) handled in 2007. Port of Shanghai already announced to take the absolute leading position soon. Until the year 2010, they intend to rise container throughput up to outstanding amount of 34 million TEUs.

List of World’s busiest container ports: (1 TEU= 1 standardized 20 feet container)

List of overall cargo tonnage yearly throughput: (in million tons)