Of the top 10 largest ports in the world based on cargo volume, nine are based in Asia and one in the Netherlands. Seven are found in China, one in Singapore and one in South Korea. Here’s a look at the world’s top 5 largest ports.
Port of Shanghai
The world’s largest port is the Port of Shanghai in China, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. This port, which covers about 3,600 square kilometers, can handle over 700 million tonnes of cargo per year. This amount encompasses an area of 32.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers. The port facility is owned by Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and serves over 2,000 container ships per month. It accounts for about 25 percent of total foreign trade in China.
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore, as the second largest port, handles over 500 million tonnes of cargo per year. The terminals, managed by PSA Singapore and Jurong Port, are located at Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang and Jurong Port. Annually about 140,000 ships visiting the port, as it connects with 600 other ports around the world. A terminal expansion project is expected to be completed by 2020.
Port of Tianjin
The Port of Tianjin is located in the mouth of the Haihe River in China, It handles over 475 million tonnes of cargo and over 12 million TEUs of containers per year. The port covers an area of 336 square kilometers of water and 131 square kilometers of land. Over 500 international ports connect with this port, which is operated by Tianjin Port Group Companies.
Port of Guangzhou
Located in the Pearl River Delta, the Port of Guangzhou handles over 450 million tonnes of cargo per year. The port is a major loading and discharging zone for Chinese coal trade, covering Downtown Port, Huangpu Port, Xinsha Port and Nansha Port Area. Its operator is Guangzhou Port Authority.
Port of Ningbo
The Port of Ningbo handles about 450 million tonnes of cargo per year, as its TEU capacity has exceeded 15 million tonnes annually. Located in the province of Zhejiang, the port is operated by Ningo Port Group. The port connects with over 600 ports in over a hundred nations.