Ningbo claims fifth place among world busiest box ports

CHINA's Port of Ningbo has surpassed the 20 million TEU mark that means that it is now the world's fifth busiest container port ahead of Korea's Busan.

Busan Port Authority said its target for 2014 was 18.2 million TEU, but for the first nine months the South Korean port handled only 13.7 million TEU.

Ningbo port, China's fastest growing, said this year's throughput was 16.5 per cent more than the number of containers handled in 2001.

Today, Ningbo has 228 container routes and is now able to handle megaships after recent developments to upgrade its natural deepwater berths. Its trade with Taiwan has also experienced sharp growth in 2014.