Shanghai has become the first port to surpass 40 million TEU in 2025, as China's major coastal hubs posted strong throughput gains despite global logistics uncertainty, reports London's Port Technology.

Shanghai, the world's busiest container port, handled 4.83 million TEU in September, a 13.6 per cent increase from August. This lifted its year-to-date total to 41.5 million TEU, up 6.2 per cent year-on-year.

Ningbo-Zhoushan followed closely, processing 3.83 million TEU in September, a 12.7 per cent monthly rise. Its cumulative volume reached 32.5 million TEU, marking a 9.9 per cent increase from the same period last year.

Other ports also reported gains. Qingdao rose 6.5 per cent month-on-month to 2.8 million TEU, while Tianjin grew 3.3 per cent to 2.22 million TEU.

Shenzhen saw a 12.4 per cent monthly decline to 2.63 million TEU after a strong summer, but volumes remained 5.4 per cent above 2024 levels. Guangzhou eased 5.6 per cent to 2.02 million TEU, still up five per cent year-on-year.

Smaller ports showed robust growth. Beibu Gulf surged 12 per cent to 840,000 TEU, highlighting Guangxi's expanding trade with ASEAN. Yingkou rose 11.4 per cent, Xiamen 4.9 per cent and Dalian 2.2 per cent.

The consistent double-digit growth at key Chinese terminals underscores the country's continued dominance in global maritime trade and its resilience amid shifting economic conditions.