Curious to know which ports are the busiest in the world? There are several ways to define “busiest.” For the purpose of this article, we’ll look to the amount of container traffic that passes through ports to determine how busy a port is. Although these numbers change annually, most of these locations remain on the list of busiest ports year after year.
9 of the 10 ports are located in Asia – 6 of which are in China! Several decades ago, a similar list would have featured primarily European countries. This trend started to change in 1985, when the Plaza Agreement was formed between the governments of France, West Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The agreement was created in an attempt to depreciate the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to Japanese yen by the aforementioned governments purposely intervening in currency markets.
Consequentially, as the value of the dollar dropped and the yen’s value rose, Japanese businesses were able to monopolize trade in the Asian region. The shift became more prominent in the 1990s when Asian countries saw a surge in international trade, which generated a record amount of economic growth. As Asian countries continue to expand their global business reach, it’s likely that these ports will maintain their rankings on the top 10 list. This data was surveyed by looking at the total number of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) that were transported through each port in 2017.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 40,230
Opened in 1842 as a treaty port, the Port of Shanghai is made up of a deep-sea and river port. In 1991, Shanghai’s central government passed legislation that initiated economic reform. This signified the beginning of the port’s expansion, making it capable of handling millions of shipments annually. It has long been considered one of the busiest ports in the world, but secured its spot as the number one location back in 2010 – overturning Singapore as the previous record holder.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 33,670
Featuring 67 berths, the Port of Singapore connects to more than 600 ports in over 120 countries. As Singapore is an island city-state that’s home to lots of corporations while having limited access to natural resources, it makes sense that local businesses and residents would rely heavily on goods coming in and out of the area. The port gained prominence during the 1960s, as it began to create an export-oriented economy based on acquiring raw materials or unfinished products. Once attained, goods are exported as complete value-added products.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 25,210
Located in the Guangdong province, the city of Shenzhen is home to 162 miles of coastline. Situated on the River Pearl, the bustling port is known best for its shipping of industrial units. Its position between Hong Kong and Guangzhou has helped the port to increase traffic over the years.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 24,610
The Port of Ningbo was first constructed in 738 during the Tang Dynasty. It wasn’t until 2006 that it was merged with the Port of Zhoushan to create a combined facility capable of handling record numbers of cargo. The Ningbo-Zhoushan port’s location is on the coast of the East China Sea, and is directly across from both Jiaxing and Shanghai. Its position is central to Yangtze River canals that lead to China’s interior. It primarily deals in handling cargo, raw materials, and manufactured good to Oceania, South America, and North America.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 21,400
Busan is home to the largest port in South Korea. Located at the mouth of the Naktong River, the Port of Busan is situated on a bay that faces the Japanese Tsushima Islands. The port’s location is strategically placed at a halfway point between South Korea and Japan along the Korea Strait and is considered a hub trading location between the two countries.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 20,760
The Port of Hong Kong has long been considered an essential factor in the economic growth of the autonomous territory. It’s been one of the busiest ports in the world since the 1980s, and is a key player in the transport of goods across the South China Sea.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 20,370
The Port of Guangzhou dates all the way back to the Qin Dynasty. Today, the Port of Guangzhou also includes the former Huangpu Port and sits at the confluence of the Beijiang, Xijiang, and Dongjiang rivers, putting it in a prime location for trade. As the busiest port in Southern China, the Port of Guangzhou reaches more than 300 ports in over 80 locations. Comprised of 4600 berths, the port is used as the main transport center for the Pearl River Delta and its surrounding provinces.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 18,260
Serving the province of Qingdao, located near the River Yellow, this port is best known for its transport of bulk carrier vessels, iron ore, and for being the largest port in China handling crude oil. The modern day Qingdao port is the result of Qingdao Old Port, Qianwan New Port, and Huangdao Oil Port merging. With access to over 130 countries and nearly 500 ports, it’s no wonder the Port of Qingdao makes the list.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 15,440
Known as the Port of Jebel Ali, the ninth busiest port in the world is situated in the world’s largest man-made harbor. It’s the only port in the Middle East to make the top 10 busiest list, and Jebel Ali is hands-down the largest and busiest port in this region. The Port of Jebel Ali was built during the 1970s to support Port Rashid. Construction began in 2001 to expand the port and is still underway. When the project is completed, the Port of Jebel Ali is expected to be the world’s largest container port.
Container Traffic (in thousand TEUs): 15,210
Coming in at number 10 is the Port of Tianjin. Tianjin is the largest port in Northern China and serves as the main passageway to Beijing. Additionally, Tianjin is home to the biggest man-made port in China and is situated along the shores of Bohai Bay. Since its inception, the port has been drastically expanded and those operating the port wish for it to become the largest shipping and logistics hub of Northern China.