Shanghai becomes world's second-largest port
17/1/2005 15:47
Shanghai became the world's second- largest port in terms of freight
volume in 2004 after Singapore, surpassing Rotterdam in the
Netherlands.
Shanghai port handled 379 million tons of freight last year, 19.
8 percent more than a year earlier and 2.3 percent less than Singapore, which
handled 388 million tons of cargo in 2004, according to Shanghai Daily available
in Beijing Monday.
The expanding economy driven by trade and investment in
Shanghai and the Yangtze Delta cities have helped fuel the growth in the
shipping business.
Total trading through local customs, including both
imports and exports from Shanghai and neighboring cities, surged by 40.4 percent
from a year earlier to hit US$287.57 billion.
Fixed investment, another
engine driving the economy, rose by 25.8 percent over a year earlier to hit
308.4 billion yuan (US$37.3 billion) in Shanghai.
Shanghai also maintained
its place among the top three container ports in the world by handling 14.55
million TEUs ( twenty-foot equivalent unit) of containers, leaving it behind
Hong Kong and Singapore.
Shanghai claimed third place by container volume in
2003 when it overtook Busan in the Republic of Korea. Shenzhen port in southern
China claimed fourth place in the world in 2004 by handling 13.655 million
TEUs.
Shanghai is currently building a big deep water port on an island just
outside the city, which is scheduled to start service by the end of the year to
cater to exploding demand in the region.
Xinhua News
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