Container Throughput and Prospect Analysis of World Top Thirty Ports

By Xu Jianhua

Many ports have recently released container throughput data during the fi rst half of this year. Shanghai port has taken up a place in most of the ocean carrier"s shipping schedules serving China Eastern lines due to the fact that it has strong local supply, the control of the supply of goods in the Yangtze River economic belt, and being the powerful pivotal port of hinterland type.

Up to the end of June this year, the container throughput of Hong Kong port has recorded a drop for 12 consecutive months. Less than a decade ago, Hong Kong was the first biggest port in the world, now it is much lower than the top three, and this situation will continue.

The throughput of Ningbo-Zhoushan port which has overtaken Busan to be the fi fth one in 2014 is 19.43 million TEU, with a growth of 12%, and is the major port in China with the fastest growth in the last year.

The port of Singapore plans to continue investing in wharf facilities, and eventually relocates the port to a new area. Singapore, as the world"s largest transfer center, connects more than 600 ports in 123 countries, and sees almost every day the liner going to every major port all over the world.

Though the throughput of Busan port grew by 5.5%last year, up to 18.68 million TEU, but its ranking fell one rank lower to the sixth. In 2014, transshipment throughput of Busan port increased by 7.6% and reached 9.4 million TEU.

The throughput of Dubai port is 15.2 million TEU in 2014, with an increase of 11.8% over the previous year,taking up the top position in the Middle East / South Asia for a second consecutive year, which also re fl ects continuous growth in Dubai, United Arab Emirates countries and even the entire Middle East.

The throughput of Sri Lanka Colombo port grew by 14% last year to reach 4.91 million TEU, up from 32ndin 2013 to 29th. This growth is mainly driven by the launch of the new ultra large container ship treatment facilities in Colombo international container terminal (CICT).

After the disappointing year of 2013, the container throughput of Nordic port began to recover last year.The container throughput of Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp port ranked at 11, 15 and 16 in the world have respectively increased by 5.8%, 4.6% and 4.7%.

In early 2014, Europe"s first port, port of Rotterdam,even suffered congestion. In 2013, Europe"s second port, port of Hamburg, was the only port of northern Europe which did not follow the general downward trend and recorded an increase of 4.6%. It realized a similar growth in 2014. Europe"s third largest port, port of Antwerp, Belgium, had a strong start this year, with the container throughput increased by 9.5% in the fi rst quarter.

In recent years, although the throughput of giant Mediterranean transshipment hub ports have experienced rapid growth, with the four major leagues integrating and adjusting their shipping lines, the Mediterranean ports will face big reshuf fl e.

The ports in the US, however, have shown a scenario of“sunrise in the east, rain in the west”.