Esportatori di auto usate vicino a Shanghai Port

Key figures (2024)

• Container throughput51.51 million TEU (world No.1)
• Cargo throughputover 1.2 billion tonnes

Overview

Shanghai Port is the world's largest container port and China's principal gateway to global markets, serving the Yangtze River Delta and the entire Yangtze economic belt.

Export role and throughput

Shanghai handled 51.51 million TEU in 2024, ranking first worldwide for the 15th consecutive year and becoming the first port anywhere to pass 50 million TEU in a single year. Foreign-trade boxes account for a high share of that volume, making Shanghai the single most important coastal hub for Chinese exports. Cargo throughput is also among the world's largest at over a billion tonnes.

Infrastructure and berths

The port is organised as one core plus two supporting clusters. Yangshan deep-water area (phases I-IV) is the centre, with phase IV among the largest fully automated container terminals in the world, backed by the Waigaoqiao and Wusong areas. Deep-water channels take the largest container vessels afloat, and the port also runs dedicated LNG, ro-ro and bulk operations.

Location and inland connectivity

Dense road and rail links combine with the Yangtze trunk waterway to reach inland markets in Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing. Multiple China-Europe rail services and sea-rail corridors connect here, and the Yangshan area is tied to the mainland by the Donghai Bridge.

Surrounding industry clusters

The hinterland covers Yangtze Delta manufacturing and trading clusters in electronics, automotive, integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals and high-end equipment. The port anchors the Shanghai International Shipping Centre and the free-trade zone's regulatory pilots.

Figures are for 2024 unless noted, compiled from China's Ministry of Transport, provincial and municipal authorities, and port group disclosures. Values marked approx. are industry estimates.