Did you know that the majority of online purchases come from Asia? In one click, we get what we have bought to travel to our home. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the busiest ports in international shipping are located in that continent.
"Made in China", "Made in Korea", "Made in Taiwan" and many more. The latest studies of the World Shipping Council (WSC), show that many of the products that are part of international trade leave from the Asian giant, reaching its portly containers all over the world. It is clear that every major city fights for its port to be positioned at the forefront of international maritime transport, and in the Asian continent they do this to the letter. Of the ten ports with the highest maritime traffic, seven are Chinese, and the rest are from Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
The WSC (an organization that represents the international shipping industry) has drawn up a list based on the potential that certain ports have in maritime traffic. Below, we would like to present a detailed list with figures that will not leave you indifferent:
Port of Shanghai, China: It is the largest port in the world with 35' 29 million TEUs (unit of measurement in maritime transport) handled. It has a throughput of about 2000 container ships per month. This port is supported by three areas: Wusongkuo, Waigaoqiao and Yanshang. Although it may seem impossible, its international traffic increases considerably every year.
List of major international seaports
Port of Singapore, Republic of Singapore: Moves more than 538,000 million tons per month.
Port of Shenzhen, China: In the last thirty years it has experienced a great exponential growth, going from being a small fishing port to moving more than 24 million TEU per year. It is one of the areas in which the Chinese government is investing the most, which is perhaps the reason for its great boom. The port of Shenzhen includes Da Chan Bay, Yantian, Chiwan and Shekou. It also extends along 260 km of coastline, with a total of 140 berths, 51 berths for vessels of 10,000 dwt and above, 18 container berths and 18 passenger ferry berths.
Port of Hong Kong, China: Since 2004 it began to experience strong growth, with an increase in activity of around 0.7% for several years. However, in recent years it has suffered a very significant year-on-year decline. Most of the port's activities are re-exports from mainland China. It is popularly known as "the port of perfumes".
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, China: Located on the Yangtze River in Zhejiang Province, near the south of Singapore. This port handles an average volume of 19.45 million TEU each year. It is a multi-purpose and very modern deep water port. It has a total of 191 berths, 39 of which are in deep water.
Port of Busan, South Korea: It has experienced sustained year-on-year growth in recent years, handling an average of more than 18.65 million TEUs annually. It seeks to become the benchmark for North Asia, as it has a transport target of over 60%. The opening of new berths at Busan New Port in recent years also deserves special mention.
Port of Qingdao, China: It belongs to the Chinese city of Shandong and is oriented to the Yellow Sea. It is a reference in the maritime sector and an industrial epicenter. Its role in international maritime transport is usually of a contribution of around 16.62 million TEU (MTEU), experiencing a potential growth every year. Marine research facilities capable of increasing activity in the fishing sector have been built. Korean, Japanese and German capital is the most popular in this port.
Port of Guangzhou, China: It is usually around 16.16 MTEU and its activity is increasing every year. It has 4,600 berths, 133 buoys and 2,360 anchorages. The largest mooring capacity in this port is 3,000 tons. In addition, the Chinese government approved the dredging of the port so that vessels over 1,000 tons can access Nansha during high tide. The goal is to allow vessels of up to 100,000 tons to enter the port.
Port of Jebel Ali - Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The presence of a country that is a benchmark in international maritime transport could not be missing in the list of international maritime transport.
Likewise, this port represents a great tourist attraction for tours and cruises. Located 35 kilometers from the city center, it is the largest man-made port in the world. Each year it moves an average of 15 million TEUs of goods.
Port of Tianjin, China: It is the largest port in the northern part of the country and maritime gateway to Beijing. It usually handles about 14 MTEU on average each year.
Asia continues to demonstrate its potential even in international maritime transport. The ports of Valencia, Bahía de Algeciras and Barcelona occupy the podium of the three most important Spanish ports worldwide.