Trucks transport containers at the ASIATIC NEPTUNE berth in a terminal at the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan. The vessel travels on a new regular service between China and Russia, as the port's latest shipping lane with a Belt and Road Initiative market, bringing the number of such routes to 17. In the first five months of the year, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, the world's No.1 port, handled 13.24 million standard containers, up 23.5 percent year-on-year. Photo: VCG

Major ports in China saw robust container throughput in the first half of the year, with multiple facilities posting annual growth rates of more than 20 percent, as China becomes a foundation to stable global transportation.

In the first six month of 2021, the container throughput of Damaiyu port in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang Province set a new record with 185,800 standard 20-foot equivalent (TEU) containers, up 28.33 percent over the same period last year. 

According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Wednesday, the country's container transportation is expected to see a recovery in growth in 2021, after China took the lead in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and resuming work.

China accounts for nearly half of the world's top 20 container ports, and seven of the top 10 container ports are in China. Compared with 2020, the demand for container transport services in most ports in China has accelerated, as seen at Ningbo Zhoushan port, Shenzhen port and Tianjin port.

Bulk cargo throughput at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, in Zhejiang Province, hit 623 million tons, up 9.5 percent year-on-year and up 11.7 percent from 2019. Container throughput reached 16.07 million TEUs, up 21.3 percent from last year and up 15.5 percent from 2019.

Container throughput at Yantian Port in Shenzhen municipality hit 6.48 million TEUs from January to June, up 21.23 percent year-on-year despite sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 in southern China.

Container throughput at Tianjin Port in North China's Tianjin Municipality grew more than 20 percent and exceeded 10 million TEUs as of June 16, crossing the 10 million TEU threshold.

According to a report sent by Shanghai International Shipping Institute to the Global Times, China's shipping activity achieved new momentum in the second quarter, and that's expected to continue in the third quarter.

An index measuring the prosperity of the shipping sector reached 126.39 points in the second quarter, falling into the expansion region and reaching the highest level since the index was first released in 2011.

Both port and container transport enterprises have strong profitability due to the continuous increase of port throughput, berth utilization rates, growing orders and freight rates, the report said.

Chinese officials on Tuesday reported that the nation's total trade expanded 27.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2021, the 13th consecutive month of growth.