The Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan recorded a record throughput of 1.34 billion tons in 2024. This corresponds to an increase of 4%.
Ningbo-Zhoushan thus secured the title of the world’s busiest port in terms of cargo volume for the 16th time in a row. At the same time, container throughput reached 39.3 million TEU – an increase of around 11% compared to the previous year.
This represents the strongest increase in the last seven years and puts Ningbo-Zhoushan in third place worldwide for container throughput after Shanghai (50 million TEU) and Singapore (41.1 million TEU). Kawa Shipping has also just launched a direct connection from Ningbo to Wilhelmshaven.
Several expansion projects have significantly increased the port’s capacity. These included the expansion of the Shulanghu ore handling terminal on an offshore island, which now allows the simultaneous unloading of two freighters with a capacity of 400,000 tons each. This is unique in the world. In addition, the tenth berth of the Meishan port area began operations, which meant that the annual container throughput of this area exceeded the 10 million TEU mark.
The Chuanshan port area reached 10 million TEU in 2017, making Ningbo-Zhoushan the only port in the world with two terminals of this capacity.
Despite major challenges, such as the disruption of global shipping routes, the port has improved its capacities and networks. It is served by over 300 container shipping services, including over 250 international routes connecting more than 600 ports in over 200 countries and regions. In addition, the port authority introduced the fastest direct connection from the Yangtze River Delta region to Europe.
The logistics network also grew significantly, handling over 1.8 million TEU in sea-rail intermodal transportation in 2024. The number of fixed timetables increased to 27 lines covering 67 cities in 16 provinces.
In recent years, Ningbo-Zhoushan has increasingly focused on intelligent and sustainable developments. The port has promoted the expansion of automation and the use of low-carbon technologies. The Chuanshan port area is home to the world’s only stand-alone and fully integrated automated container terminal, which has an annual throughput of over 10 million TEU and enables mixed operations.
According to a report by Simply Wall St, the port achieved a turnover of CNY28.6bn (€3.76bn) in 2024, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. Net profit amounted to around €640m, an increase of 4.6% compared to the previous year. (rup)
