17.12.11Shanghai to Become First Port to Handle 40 Mln TEUs

The Chinese port of Shanghai handled 3.6 million TEUs of containers in November, setting a new monthly record. It is now almost certain to become the first port in the world to process a total of 40 million TEUs on a yearly scale.

Container throughput at Shanghai reached 35.29 million TEUs in 2014, increasing 5% from a year earlier. Due to sluggishness in the global economy, however, it just went up 3.5% to 36.54 million TEUs in 2015 and up 1.6% to 37.13 million TEUs in 2016, showing that year-on-year improvements were smaller in the two years. This year, in contrast, 36.876 million TEUs in total were moved to and from the port in the 11 months from January, which rose 8%. Assuming container movement to and from the port remains as powerful, it is highly likely to exceed the 40-million-TEU line on a full-year basis.