World’s Biggest Port

The title of world’s biggest port is contested by some of the largest ports around the world. Unfortunately, there is no standardized way or means in which to measure which port really is the biggest. There are various standards that you can use in order to determine this, however, you are sure to find several ports vying for the top spot. One of the means upon which to determine the biggest port worldwide is by cargo volume. This is a somewhat huge criterion that many can agree on.

Biggest Port by Cargo Volume

If we base everything by cargo volume, as of the 2007 world port ranking, then the world’s biggest port should be the port of Shanghai. It held on to this title since 2005 and has handled a total of 561,446 metric tons. This surpasses that for the Port of Singapore and the Port of Rotterdam.

Other ports that are vying for this same title are the Port of Kobe in Japan, Port of Hong Kong, Port of New York/New Jersey, and the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom. Take note that any of these ports can take the number one slot depending on the criteria you will choose. For instance, if you measure by the number of TEUs or Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units then as of 2007 the world’s biggest port is the Port of Singapore with 27,935,500 TEU on its belt. The port of Shanghai will only be ranked as the second largest port in the world using this criterion.

The Port of Shanghai

The port of Shanghai is currently the world’s biggest port in terms of metric tons handled. It is located within the proximity of Shanghai. It has both a river port and a deep-sea port, which is something like a combination of the two types of ports.

To the east, the port of Shanghai looks towards the East China Sea. The Hangzhou Bay covers the southern boundary of this port. Three rivers are included in this port’s service zone, which are the Qiantang River, the Yangtze River, and the Huangpu River. Take note that the Huangpu River also enters by way of the Yangtze River.

Working Zones

Another contributing factor to being the world’s biggest port is the fact that the port of Shanghai has five major working zones. The first one is at the Yangtze River estuary, second is at the Huangpu River mouth, the next one is Waigaoqiao located in Pudong, fourth is the deep water port of Yangshan, and fifth is the Pudong coastline.

World Port Ranking

The ranking of the different ports in the world can change depending on the data that is available. For instance, the port of Shanghai moved 100 metric tons in 1984 and gradually increased as the years went by. The title of world’s biggest port can be given to any of the vying ports worldwide depending on what criteria you use and what data is available.