Xinhua News Agency: Ningbo Zhoushan Port: Reform Empowers Building Strong Port, Embarks on a New Journey to Strong Navigation Chart

As of 2025, the cargo throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan Port has been ranked first in the world for 17 consecutive years, and the container throughput has remained among the top three in the world. The transformation of this Oriental port is a vivid practice of Zhejiang Province in implementing the "88 Strategy" and promoting the construction of a strong maritime province.
The tide rises and the East Sea is wide, with the harbor connected to the sky and far below. On the winter coast of the East China Sea, the Meishan Port area of Zhoushan Port in Ningbo is bustling. In December 2025, with the stable lifting of containers wearing the "red makeup", Ningbo Zhoushan Port achieved a milestone breakthrough of 40 million TEUs in annual container throughput, outlining a solid trajectory for Zhejiang to promote the construction of a world-class strong port.
As of 2025, the cargo throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan Port has been ranked first in the world for 17 consecutive years, and the container throughput has remained among the top three in the world. The transformation of this Oriental port is a vivid practice of Zhejiang Province in implementing the "88 Strategy" and promoting the construction of a strong maritime province. The Department of Marine Economic Development of Zhejiang Province fully leverages the functions of the Provincial Strong Port Office in coordinating ocean ports, collaborates with relevant units to continuously tackle the reform of strong ports and improve the business environment of ports, and promotes the sustained leadership of Ningbo Zhoushan Port in global port competition.
Hard core foundation: Hub energy level further elevated
The scene of two 400000 ton ore ships docking and unloading at the Shulang Lake ore transfer terminal in Zhoushan Port, Ningbo is shocking. In 2024, this port will become the world's first to achieve the docking and unloading of "double 400000 ton" giant ships. Behind this breakthrough is the continuous deepening of port infrastructure, which is characterized by "deep water, specialization, and intelligence".
At present, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has over 210 berths of 10000 tons and over 135 berths of 50000 tons and above. In December 2025, the second 300000 ton deepwater main channel in the core port area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, the Tiaozhumen Channel, officially entered the substantive operation stage. Ningbo Zhoushan Port became the first port in China to have a "dual channel" for the entry and exit of ultra large ships in the core port area, achieving a significant increase in navigation capacity.
The "breadth" and "speed" of the logistics network are the core criteria for measuring the level of a port. On the big screen of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Dispatch and Command Center, 309 container routes weave the world like silver lines, including more than 250 international routes and more than 130 "the Belt and Road" routes, which can reach more than 700 ports in more than 200 countries and regions. In September 2025, the world's first China Europe Arctic container express will depart, shortening the one-way travel time from Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Felixstowe Port in the UK to 20 days, setting a new record for China Europe express delivery time.
The land radiation momentum of Ningbo Zhoushan Port is strong, and the sea rail intermodal transportation business volume will exceed 2 million TEUs by 2025, maintaining the second largest scale in the country. In the past, goods were transported by road, and customs clearance and inspection procedures were cumbersome and costly, "recalled the logistics manager of a foreign trade enterprise in Zhejiang. Nowadays, after being transported by sea rail intermodal trains, goods are loaded onto ships with intelligent locks, saving enterprises more than 10% of logistics costs.
Reform Empowerment: Further Optimizing the Business Environment
If hard core facilities are the backbone of a port, then a high-quality business environment is the lifeblood of the port. The Department of Marine Economy of Zhejiang Province, in collaboration with relevant departments, adheres to the principle of "changing whatever is most urgent for enterprises" and uses targeted reforms to solve the urgent needs of enterprises.
In response to the demand for export timeliness of the "New Three Samples", the "Same Installation, Same Inspection+Capacity and Deficiency Report" service has covered multiple locations. In conjunction with the "Cross Regional Joint Inspection" of the Nanjing and Chongqing Maritime Safety Bureaus, the logistics efficiency of the "New Three Samples" export from Nanjing to Ningbo has been improved by 40%; Wenzhou Port will achieve the goal of "exporting lithium batteries as soon as they leave the factory" by 2025. From January to September 2025, the export value of local "new three samples" will reach 1.767 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 61.6%.
The relief of customs clearance difficulties for inland enterprises cannot be achieved without the "Zhejiang E-Port Connect" model. The platform has covered a total of 26 stations both inside and outside the province, basically achieving full coverage of conditional stations, and promoting a sustained on-time shipment rate of over 90% for goods. The Yiwu (Suxi) International Hub Port, which will open for operation in June 2025, serves as the first demonstration site in China to achieve "intelligence, visualization, early warning, full process information control, and full chain tracking", benefiting the freight forwarding enterprises that settle in.
Digital empowerment gives reform wings like a tiger. The "Four Ports Linkage" cloud platform has connected over 100 systems, including ports and waterways, and collected 18000 data items from all links with an accuracy rate of over 95%; The backscatter equipment and robotic dog inspection at Hangzhou Ningbo Customs enable the fastest time for inbound empty containers to be unloaded and picked up from the ship is only 10 minutes; The independently developed "Electronic Lock Automatic Sealing System" has increased clearance efficiency by 80% and supports 7 × 24-hour operation, greatly improving clearance convenience.
Cross departmental collaboration breaks down the 'information barrier'. The country's first multilateral consultation platform for "border, port, railway, and land enterprises" has joined forces with more than 70 units to solve the problem of block segmentation through regular joint meetings. In the Xuancheng International Land Port pilot project, the platform has driven local foreign trade growth through "integrated operations and integrated supervision".
Strategic leap: Global nodes break through again
The strategic ambition of Ningbo Zhoushan Port is gradually becoming a reality, from a "logistics hub" to a "global node," with the goal of improving service quality and environment, and taking a strategic leap towards the world. In July 2025, the "Xinhua Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index" was released, and Ningbo Zhoushan jumped to the 7th place in the world, achieving a "five-year four level jump".
Behind this breakthrough is the continuous upgrading of high-end shipping services: in May 2025, "Zhejiang Ningbo Zhoushan Port" became the 10th international ship registration port in China; The world's leading shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping, has landed its first Chinese project at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, filling the gap in shipping operations and services; Zhejiang Paichuan Network has become the first domestic ship trading platform with an annual transaction volume exceeding 10 billion yuan.
In the global supply chain restructuring, the "strategic resilience" of ports is particularly crucial. In response to the problem of ships staying in port for a long time, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Marine Economy has implemented five mechanisms and ten measures in conjunction with customs, maritime, border inspection and other port departments, reducing the non operating time of international container ships from 140 minutes at the beginning of the year to 90 minutes; In response to the tight anchorage in Zhoushan, the "16 Measures for Anchorage Services" were launched simultaneously with the "one-stop" service for fuel refueling and crew changes, resulting in a 20% increase in anchorage turnover efficiency and a 50% increase in enterprise operational efficiency.
Looking towards the future, the 'blueprint' has been drawn. In 2026, the Department of Marine Economy of Zhejiang Province will conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Government, promote the construction of world-class strong ports with high quality, deepen the reform of port business environment, and strive to create a first-class port business environment with the best service, lowest cost, and highest efficiency, contributing hard core strength to the construction of a high-energy open and strong province in Zhejiang Province. (Wang Hui)