PORT of Ningbo recorded a container throughput of 14.51 million TEU last year, doubling its annual volume of 7.06 million TEU five years ago in 2006, indicating an average annual growth of 15.5 per cent, Xinhua reports.

    Ningbo has risen on the container throughput ranking to become the fourth biggest port in China and the sixth in the world.

    Meanwhile, the port's overall tonnage increased from 2006's 310 million tonnes to 433 million tonnes in 2011 at an average growth of 6.9 per cent per year.

    The port has a network consisting of 236 shipping lanes, covering over 600 ports in more than 100 countries in the world, offering 1,300 sailings per month. It has also widened its dry port facility coverage in the hinterland regions to six cities. Last year, its dry ports contributed 218,000 TEU to its throughput, up 95 per cent year on year.

    Ningbo has spent more than CNY10 billion (US$1.6 billion) on port infrastructure in the past five years and had two to three container berths become operational each year. It now has 330 berths in operation, more than 80 are large deep-water docks.

(Source:Shippingazette)