Shanghai Port:

Shanghai Port is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the sea, in the Yangtze River Delta water network area, with well-developed waterway transportation. Currently, there are 3,250 berths in the river port area of Shanghai, with a maximum berthing capacity of 2,000 tons. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the development of Shanghai Port entered the fast track. In the 1990s, new port areas such as Luojing, Waigaoqiao Phase I, and Waigaoqiao Phase II were built. The port's business operations mainly include loading and unloading, warehousing, logistics, ship towing, pilotage, agency for foreign vessels, tallying for foreign vessels, intermodal transportation services, transshipment services, and waterway passenger transportation services. In January 1996, the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center officially started. In June 2002, construction of the Yangshan Deepwater Port Area began, and Shanghai Port began to transition from a river port to a true seaport. In 2003, the port's cargo throughput reached 316 million tons, with a container throughput of 11.28 million TEUs, making it the first port on the Chinese mainland to surpass the 10 million TEU mark. In 2004, the cargo throughput and container throughput continued to grow rapidly, reaching 379 million tons and 14.55 million TEUs, respectively, ranking second and third among world ports. In 2005, Shanghai Port's cargo throughput reached 443 million tons, with a container throughput of 18.09 million TEUs, a 24.2% increase compared to the previous year, maintaining its position as the world's third-largest port.

Ningbo Port:

Ningbo Port consists of Beilun Port Area, Zhenhai Port Area, Ningbo Port Area, Daxie Port Area, and Chuanshan Port Area. It is a modern deep-water port with multiple functions and comprehensive capabilities, integrating river ports, estuary ports, and seaports. It currently has 191 productive berths, including 39 deep-water berths with a capacity of over 100,000 tons. The largest berths include a 250,000-ton crude oil terminal, a 200,000-ton (with the option to accommodate 300,000-ton ships) ore unloading terminal, the sixth-generation international container dedicated berth, and a 50,000-ton liquid chemical dedicated berth. It has navigation connections with more than 600 ports in over 100 countries and regions around the world. Ningbo Port mainly handles the import of iron ore, domestic and foreign trade containers, crude oil and petroleum products, liquid chemical products, coal, as well as other bulk cargo loading and unloading, storage, transshipment services. In 2005, Ningbo Port achieved a throughput of 268.64 million tons.

Port of Tianjin:

The Port of Tianjin is located at the western end of the Bohai Bay and serves as a vital waterway transportation hub for the North China and Beijing-Tianjin region. It has over 140 berths, including 76 public berths, with a total shoreline length of 14.5 kilometers. The port has 55 berths capable of accommodating vessels of over 10,000 tons. Tianjin Port achieved a historic breakthrough in cargo throughput in 2003, reaching 162 million tons, with a net increase of 30 million tons compared to the previous year, ranking first among northern China's ports. Tianjin Port was the first port in mainland China to engage in international container transportation. In 1973, it successfully opened the first international container route, and in 1980, it completed the construction of China's first container terminal. In 2004, the container throughput reached 3.816 million standard containers, and the total cargo throughput exceeded 200 million tons, with a net increase of 40 million tons. In 2005, Tianjin Port achieved a throughput of 241.44 million tons.

Port of Guangzhou:

The Port of Guangzhou is located in the center of the Pearl River Delta, the most active region of China's outward-oriented economy. It is divided into the Humen Port Area, Xinsha Port Area, Huangpu Port Area, and Guangzhou Inner Harbor Port Area. The port has international shipping connections to more than 80 countries and regions with over 300 ports, as well as connections to over 100 domestic ports. It is the largest foreign trade port in South China and mainly handles goods such as petroleum, coal, grain, fertilizers, steel, ore, and containers, including terminal and anchorage operations, warehousing, bonded warehousing, domestic and international cargo agency, vessel agency, transit and passenger transportation, pilotage for domestic and foreign vessels, waterway transportation of goods and passengers, and logistics services. In 2004, the Port of Guangzhou achieved a cargo throughput of 215 million tons, and in 2005, it reached 250.93 million tons.

Port of Qingdao

The Port of Qingdao is a national super-sized port consisting of three main port areas: Qingdao Old Port, Huangdao Oil Port, and Qianwan New Port. It has 15 terminals and 73 berths, primarily engaged in the handling of various types of import and export cargoes, including containers, coal, crude oil, iron ore, and grains. The port also provides international and domestic passenger transportation services. It maintains trade connections with over 450 ports in more than 130 countries and regions worldwide, serving as a vital international trade gateway and maritime transportation hub on the Pacific West Coast. In 2004, the port's throughput reached 161 million tons, contributing 1.75 billion yuan in various taxes and fees to the national government. In 2005, the Port of Qingdao achieved a throughput of 186.78 million tons.

Port of Qinhuangdao

Located on the coast of the Bohai Sea, the Port of Qinhuangdao is a natural deep-water harbor in northern China. It primarily handles commodities such as coal, petroleum, grains, fertilizers, and minerals. Renowned for its energy exports, the port serves as a major channel for transporting coal from inland regions such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Hebei to eastern and southern China, as well as to countries and regions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Its annual coal exports account for over 50% of the national total, making it a crucial route for transporting coal from the north to the south. The port currently boasts the largest automated coal handling terminal in the country, along with advanced terminals for crude oil, general cargo, and containers. It has a total of 58 berths, including 37 production berths. Qinhuangdao Oil Port comprises two terminals: Phase I and Phase II, with two berths for 25,000-ton vessels, one berth for 50,000-ton vessels, and one berth for 3,000-ton refined oil. The port has an annual handling capacity of 16.5 million tons. In 2004, the Port of Qinhuangdao achieved a throughput of 153 million tons, marking a 20.27% increase compared to the previous year. In 2005, the port's throughput reached 169.02 million tons.

Dalian Port

Dalian Port is strategically located at the heart of the northwest Pacific, serving as the most convenient gateway for transporting goods to the Far East, South Asia, North America, and Europe. The port has a free water area of 346 square kilometers and a land area of over 10 square kilometers. It boasts more than 80 modern specialized berths for containers, crude oil, refined oil, grains, coal, bulk minerals, chemical products, and roll-on/roll-off cargo, with over 40 berths accommodating vessels of over 10,000 tons. The port has opened eight international container shipping routes to Hong Kong, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe, among others. In 2003, the port achieved a cargo throughput of 126 million tons, with a container throughput of 1.67 million standard containers, making it one of the few mega ports worldwide exceeding 100 million tons. In 2005, the port's cargo throughput reached 170 million tons, with a container throughput of 3 million TEUs. The port completed key construction projects with a total investment of 6 billion yuan throughout the year.

Shenzhen Port

Located on the eastern shore of the Lingdingyang Estuary, the entrance of the Pearl River in the southern part of the Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen Port is adjacent to Hong Kong and serves as an excellent natural harbor in the southern China region. Its immediate hinterland includes Shenzhen City, Huiyang City, Dongguan City, and parts of the Pearl River Delta. The port primarily handles containerized cargo and also deals with fertilizers, grains, feed, sugar, steel, cement, timber, sand and gravel, petroleum, coal, and minerals. In 2004, Shenzhen Port achieved a cargo throughput of 135 million tons, with a growth rate of 20.33%. The container throughput reached 13.65 million TEUs, with a growth rate of 28.22%. In 2005, Shenzhen Port completed the construction of ten dedicated container berths and developed the Tonggu Channel. The cargo throughput in 2005 reached 153 million tons, with a container throughput of 16.1971 million TEUs.

Zhoushan Port

Located in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, within the Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhoushan Port is backed by the economically prosperous Yangtze River Delta and serves as the maritime gateway for the provinces in the Yangtze River Basin and Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The port boasts abundant deep-water shoreline resources and superior natural conditions for port construction, with a total length of dock shoreline reaching 1,538 kilometers, including 183.2 kilometers of deep-water shoreline with a depth greater than 10 meters and 82.8 kilometers of deep-water shoreline with a depth greater than 20 meters. The port consists of eight port areas: Dinghai, Shenjiamen, Laotangshan, Gaoting, Qushan, Sijiao, Lvhuashan, and Yangshan, with a total of 352 productive berths, including 11 berths capable of handling vessels over 10,000 tons. In 2003, the port achieved a cargo throughput of 57 million tons. The port has trade and transportation connections with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Russia, and the Middle East region. As a major component of the Shanghai International Shipping Center and the Shanghai-Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Cluster, the port's development is the most promising and competitive industry in Zhoushan's future. In 2004, the port's cargo throughput reached 73.5926 million tons. In 2005, Zhoushan Port's cargo throughput exceeded 80 million tons.

Yingkou Port

Yingkou Port consists of Yingkou Port Area and Bayuquan Port Area. With a history of over 140 years since its opening as a foreign trade port, Yingkou Port was once the only international trading port in Northeast China and was renowned as the "excellent trade port in the East." In 1936, the port's throughput reached 2.46 million tons. In the 21st century, Yingkou Port has transformed into a modern port characterized by deepwater, specialization, and multifunctionality. By the end of 2003, Yingkou Port had a total of 29 productive berths, including 17 deepwater berths capable of handling vessels over 10,000 tons. In 2004, Yingkou Port achieved a cargo throughput of 59.77 million tons, representing a growth rate of 45.1% compared to 2003. It handled 583,000 TEUs of containers, with a growth rate of 44.7% compared to 2003. The port's annual operating revenue surpassed 1 billion yuan. In 2005, Yingkou Port's cargo throughput reached 75.37 million tons, and the container transport volume reached 787,000 TEUs.