Global container throughout rose six per cent year on year to 740 million TEU in 2017, according to the Shanghai International Shipping Institute.
In its Global Port Development Report (2017), the institute said container traffic "constantly picked up under the impact of the recovering global economy and trade environment" in 2017.
Despite the threat of a trade war with the US it forecasts growth will continue in 2018, reported London's WorldCargo News.
"It is estimated that, boosted by the active international commodity trade and consumption market, the container throughput of global ports will maintain a strong growing momentum in 2018," the report said.
With adjustment in business modes such as cross-border e-commerce and cross-border online shopping, and with transformation in transport modes such as "bulk-to-containerised cargo", the container throughput growth at global ports will still be better than the cargo throughput.
The institute predicted transshipments are expected to decline. "More cargo will go through direct routes to ensure timeliness and efficiency of transportation, so the number of transshipped containers at ports will keep decreasing, and the proportion of empty containers will increase.
Chinese ports again showed the strongest growth, particularly its "ports above a designated scale", which saw throughput increase nine per cent.
Shanghai was up 8.2 per cent to just over 40 million TEU, while Ningbo-Zhoushan Port volume increased 14.2 per cent and Guangzhou grew 8.2 per cent.
Ports in South East Asia did not fare so well, registering a throughput increase of three per cent, with Singapore the notable exception with an 8.2 per cent increase.
European ports were up five per cent, while US ports grew 7.4 per cent and African ports 5.6 per cent.
Sources:Schednet
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