Spotlight on China: The Deep Water Port of Shanghai

We can all agree that shipping containers are a big business, and that most standard/dry containers originate in China; but once you look at it up close it might be hard to get your head around just how big the container market in China is. Last week at the Intermodal Asia Expo 2015 we were given the chance to check out the busiest container port in the world, up close and personal.

The deep water port of Shanghai, or technically known as Yangshan Port, is consistently the world busiest container port. It’s hard to believe, but the port isn’t really all that old. It’s easy to imagine that the busiest container port in the world is an old, large structure, but that isn’t the case. Yangshan port started its first phase of construction in 2000-2001 and it hasn’t stopped since.

• In 2000-2001 the port started construction, and the first two phases were completed providing a total of nine berths along a 1.86 miles (3KM) quayside.
• The first phase can handle 2.2 million TUE annually, and has 10 quay cranes.
• The second phase opened in December of 2006 and has 180 acres and 15 quay cranes.
• The third phase, opened in stages, completed in 2010, provided 7 berths.
• As of 2011 the port handled 12.3 million TEU annually.
• The fourth phase, opening this year (2015), will add an additional 4 million TEU capacity.
• The total cost of the port when complete will reach US$12 billion, have 30 berths, and be able to handle of more than 16 million TEU annually.

Those numbers are just the port. The road to the port, Donghai Road, sees 10 million containers annually and is 20.2 miles miles (32.5KM). Not impressed yet? Donghai Road isn’t a road, it’s bridge; and as of 2005 it’s the world’s largest sea bridge.

The vessels coming through Yangshan are some of the largest in the world. The berths can support the largest vessels in the world at 100,000 tonnes, and has a depth of 52 feet (16 meters).
How do you support a port like this? Back on the mainland, a city has been constructed that will accommodate approximately 700,000 people and has three universities to train future port employees.

For more information about buying and selling shipping containers through online software services, you can contact ContainerAuction.com at (307)222-9085 or email through this page. To see more of the pictures from the Shanghai Port Tour with Intermodal Asia 2015, check out our Facebook page.