Shanghai sieht sich in diesem Jahr bereits an der Spitze der weltgrößten Häfen. Mit 443 Mio Tonnen (Vorjahr 379 Mio Tonnen) habe Shanghai Singapur von Platz eins verdrängt, teilte, die Hafenbehörde am 29. Dezember 2005 mit. Quelle: SHD

Originaltext: SHANGHAI is expected to replace Singapore as the world’s largest port this year, shipping 443 million tons of cargo, up from last year’s 379 million tons, Shanghai Port Administration Bureau said yesterday. The city is also expected to handle 18.1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent of units) of container traffic this year, maintaining its position as the world’s third-largest container port, following Hong Kong and Singapore, the bureau said. Last year, Shanghai handled 14.5 million TEUs of container throughput. The city is counting on the recently opened Yangshan Deep-Water Port to add to its capacity and gradually play a role as an international transfer hub. With the five berths of the first phase of the new facility put into operation earlier this month, Shanghai Port is expected to expand its annual capacity to more than 20 million TEUs next year, further narrowing its gap with global rivals, said officials with Shanghai International Port (Group) Co, the city’s port operator. The Yangshan port, which is located on an island at the mouth of Hangzhou Bay 27.5 kilometers from the city’s Luchaogang area in Nanhui District, will help Shanghai secure its role as an important shipping hub for northeastern Asia. The port, featuring a water depth of about 15.5 meters, allows Shanghai to attract the world’s biggest container ships — those carrying 8,500 units. As the Yangshan port project progresses, officials are confident the city will become the world’s largest container port in the future, given China’s booming trade. “Shanghai’s container throughput will grow by an annual 2 to 3 million TEUs in the coming years, and it will become the world’s largest container port,” said Chen Xuyuan, president of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co. The second phase of Yangshan port will be operated by investors including Hutchison Whampoa, A.P. Moller-Maersk, China Shipping Group Co and China Ocean Shipping Group Corp. It is expected to add another four berths at the end of next year.