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PortEconomics
  • October 18th, 2025
PortEconomics
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    Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications

    Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications

    Investments and financing challenges of the EU’s port managing bodies; findings from a comprehensive survey

    Investments and financing challenges of the EU’s port managing bodies; findings from a comprehensive survey

    Evaluating customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding agents:  Kuwait Shuwaikh Port

    Evaluating customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding agents: Kuwait Shuwaikh Port

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    Digital technologies for efficient and resilient sea-land logistics

    Stakeholders’ attitudes toward container terminal automation

    Stakeholders’ attitudes toward container terminal automation

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    Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit

    Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit

    When will we admit that maritime transport will not be decarbonised by 2050?

    When will we admit that maritime transport will not be decarbonised by 2050?

    Digital technologies for efficient and resilient sea-land logistics

    Digital technologies for efficient and resilient sea-land logistics

    The World Ports Tracker in TOC Europe

    The World Ports Tracker in TOC Europe

    Newly-upgraded IAPH World Ports Tracker identifies major sustainability and market trends

    Newly-upgraded IAPH World Ports Tracker identifies major sustainability and market trends

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    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

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    PhD posts in the area of ports and energy transition

    PortEconomics members among best-performing scholars globally

    PortEconomics members among best-performing scholars globally

    Accessibility or connectivity: why is it correct to say that in the Caribbean the main logistics problem is connectivity?

    Accessibility or connectivity: why is it correct to say that in the Caribbean the main logistics problem is connectivity?

    Cruise Port-City Compass

    Cruise Port-City Compass

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    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

    Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines

    Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines

    In a tight spot: American ports in global supply chains

    In a tight spot: American ports in global supply chains

    Cruise industry in 2025 at a glance

    Cruise industry in 2025 at a glance

    The box that makes the world go around: container terminals and global trade

    The box that makes the world go around: container terminals and global trade

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PortGraphic: Top10 container ports in mainland China in 2018Containers

PortGraphic: Top10 container ports in mainland China in 2018

February 26th, 2019 Containers, Featured

READ ALSO

Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025
Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025
Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines
Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines
Evaluating customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding agents:  Kuwait Shuwaikh Port
Evaluating customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding agents: Kuwait Shuwaikh Port
Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications
Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications

By Theo Notteboom

The table provides an overview of the total TEU throughput in 2018 of the top 10 container ports in mainland China (plus Hong Kong) and also shows the growth figures 2017/2018 and 2007/2018. The figures lead to the following conclusions.

Shanghai remains the no. 1 container port in mainland China and the world

The top 10 ports in China handled 183 million TEU in 2018 or +4.7% compared to 2017. Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta remains the undisputed no. 1 container port in mainland China and the world with over 42 million TEU in 2018 (+4.4%). The Chinese government developed a strong focus on Shanghai in the mid-1990s. As a result the Yangtze River Delta emerged as the most prominent container growth region in China reaching an elevated average annual growth of 30% in container throughput between 1995 and 2005. Last year, Shanghai’s neighbour, the port Ningbo-Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, climbed to second place at the expense of Shenzhen, the leading port in the Pearl River Delta. Another Pearl River Delta port, Guangzhou, kept its fourth position. Both Shenzhen and Guangzhou now handle more containers than the third largest hub in the Pearl River Delta, i.e. Hong Kong. Qingdao in Shandong province is the highest ranked port of northeastern China in the list. Ningbo-Zhoushan and Guangzhou recorded the strongest growth in 2018 among the top ten ports, but did not reach double digit growth figures which were characteristic for the Chinese container port system throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In fact, the 4.7% growth of the top 10 ports is similar to the 4.8% growth of the top 15 ports in Europe in 2018.

Top 10: A traffic growth of 94% in the period 2007-2018

All top 10 ports now handle more containers than in pre-crisis year 2007, with Yingkou (Liaoning province) and Ningbo-Zhoushan showing the strongest growth. Shenzhen and Shanghai are the only mainland Chinese ports with ‘only’ a double digit and not a triple digit growth rate in the period 2007-2018.

The results for Hong Kong are in sharp contrast to the situation in mainland China

The results for Hong Kong are in sharp contrast to the situation in mainland China: Hong Kong now handles almost 18% fewer boxes compared to 2007 and -5.4% compared to 2017. Only 25 years ago, Hong Kong acted as the only container gateway to China. In May 1980, the Chinese government established the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the first special economic zone in China. By the late 1980s, mainland Chinese ports in the Pearl River Delta, such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou, saw the first fruits of this opening up policy. The Pearl River Delta recorded an average annual growth of 19.3% between 1985 and 1995. In the ten following years the Delta’s growth remained high with traffic increases of between 12 and 13% per year. However, Hong Kong did not manage to record a healthy container growth in the past five years. As a result, Shenzhen and Guangzhou have now overtaken Hong Kong in terms of container throughput.

Next article The Analyst: ships and terminals through Amazon's eyes
Previous article Port automation: a paradox for the shipping industry

Theo Notteboom

Dr. Theo Notteboom is co-founder and co-director of PortEconomics. He is a professor in port and maritime economics and management with about 25 years of experience in this area. His work is widely cited. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and a rapporteur/expert to leading organizations in the field. He is Chair Professor at Ghent University in Belgium. He is a visiting Research Professor at China Institute of FTZ Supply Chain of Shanghai Maritime University. He also is part-time Professor at University of Antwerp and the Antwerp Maritime Academy in Belgium. He previously held a full-time position as High-end Foreign Expert / Professor at Dalian Maritime University in China (2014-2016) and an MPA visiting professorship in port management at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He is immediate past President (2010-2014) and Council Member of International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME). Between October 2006 and October 2014 he was President of ITMMA of the University of Antwerp. Between 2009 and 2014 he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Belgian Institute of Transport Organizers (BITO), an institute of the Belgian Federal Government.

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Weekly Timeline
Oct 5th 7:23 PM
Category

Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications

Oct 2nd 12:27 PM
Thematic Area

Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

Sep 18th 3:40 PM
Thematic Area

Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines

Sep 12th 3:48 PM
Thematic Area

Investments and financing challenges of the EU’s port managing bodies; findings from a comprehensive survey

Aug 12th 2:18 PM
Thematic Area

Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit

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