The Port of Shanghai Tops 50 Million TEUs for a Second Year: Maintaining Momentum in the Development of a World-Class Shipping Hub

On 26 November, 2025, the Port of Shanghai handled its 50 millionth TEU of 2025—26 days earlier than in 2024, when the milestone was first achieved. This marks another record-breaking year for the Port’s annual container throughput, serving as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Yangshan Port Area’s opening.

The Port of Shanghai, which is poised to rank first in global container throughput for the 16th consecutive year, continues to exemplify the building of a world-class shipping hub. With innovative practices that “reshape efficiency through smart technologies and define the future through green development,” it is also setting a new benchmark for high-quality growth among ports worldwide.

This achievement cannot have been made possible without a strategic shift from “scale-based expansion” to “ecosystem restructuring.” Venturing away from the traditional model of simply stacking hardware, the Port of Shanghai has adopted a system-based approach to build a broad, collaborative operational ecosystem.

Internally, it has deeply integrated its matrix of automated terminals with the smart transformation of traditional port areas, creating an operational network that is “intelligently interconnected and seamlessly coordinated,” thus significantly enhancing efficiency across all workflow stages.

Externally, it has broken through physical port boundaries by extending services into key hinterland nodes and advancing a coordinated “port–industry–city” development strategy. This has strengthened cargo aggregation resilience and improved logistics circulation, laying a solid foundation for the early achievement of the 50-million-TEU milestone.

Digital intelligence has become the core driving force—and a vivid testament to China’s capacity for indigenous innovation. The Port of Shanghai has moved beyond stand-alone equipment automation and entered a brand-new stage of end-to-end intelligent collaboration.

Its independently developed intelligent port management and control system continues to iterate and evolve like an ever-advancing “smart brain,” precisely deploying resources across terminals, yards, shipping, and logistics. With deep application of cutting-edge technologies (e.g., F5G, digital twins, and high-precision positioning), remote operation, unmanned transport, and intelligent scheduling have become routine, marking a fundamental shift from “human-controlled” to “AI-controlled” practice. This smart transformation, powered by homegrown technologies, not only drives breakthroughs in terminal efficiency but also showcases China’s fully autonomous and reliable port-technology capabilities to the rest of the world.

Green transformation paves the way for its sustainable development, embodying a synergy between “core capabilities” and “responsibility of ecological protection.” The Port of Shanghai has consistently placed green development at its core, rejecting the traditional path of “developing first and treating later,” and instead pioneering a new model in which ecological and economic benefits reinforce one another.

From resource recycling in the renewal of older terminals to a port-wide clean-energy supply system; from jointly building green shipping corridors with global partners to the routine application of new environmentally friendly fuels—each initiative reflects the guiding principle that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.”

Behind the achievement of 50 million TEUs lies lower carbon emissions, cleaner shorelines, and the Port’s steadfast commitment to green and low-carbon development.

An open and interconnected framework has allowed the Port of Shanghai to serve as both a “stabilizer” and “accelerator” of global supply chains. Positioned at a strategic pivot of China’s dual-circulation development pattern, the Port has deepened cooperation with global shipping partners, expanding route networks, streamlining customs clearance, and enhancing transshipment efficiency to keep the main arteries of international trade flowing smoothly.

Similarly, the Port of Shanghai has integrated more deeply into regional collaborative development. Through resource sharing and complementary strengths with ports along key corridors, the Port is building an interconnected logistics network. This expands its role from a port focused solely on cargo handling to a crucial platform for global resource allocation, providing sustained momentum for the steady recovery of the world economy.