China port throughput: containers up 4.5% in nine months, Shanghai sets a September record

WEDNESDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2026

In the first three quarters of 2026 Chinese ports handled 280 million TEU, and in September traffic grew again after the August decline. What to consider for bookings before Chinese New Year.

China port throughput: in the first nine months of 2026 Chinese ports handled 280 million TEU, 4.5% more than in the same period of 2025, according to figures released on 26 October by the Ministry of Transport in Beijing. In September total cargo traffic grew again, up 2.6% year on year, after a decline in August.

What the ministry's figures say

The nine-month total measures everything that crosses Chinese quays, at both seaports and river ports such as those along the Yangtze. Total cargo grew only slightly, while containers moved faster: a sign that the traffic of finished and semi-finished goods, the kind that travels in containers, is holding up better than bulk such as ore, coal and grain.

The ministry also separates foreign trade from domestic traffic. Cargo linked to foreign trade, imports and exports together, is growing faster than the average; traffic between Chinese ports is essentially flat.

China port throughput in numbers

• Total cargo throughput, January-September 2026: 13.64 billion tonnes, up 0.7% on the same period of 2025.
• Foreign-trade cargo, January-September 2026: up 2.9%; domestic traffic: down 0.2%.
• Containers, January-September 2026: 280 million TEU, up 4.5% (the cumulative figure at the end of August was up 4.0%).
• Total cargo throughput, September 2026: up 2.6% on September 2025.
• Containers in September 2026, preliminary operator data: Shanghai 5.135 million TEU (up 6.2%, a monthly record), Ningbo 5.07 million TEU (up 9.3%).

The ministry's figures are in tonnes and TEU, not in value: they say how much cargo moved, not what it was worth. The Shanghai and Ningbo figures are quick statistics published by the listed companies that run the two ports and may be revised in the final data.

September after the typhoons

In August Chinese port traffic had fallen year on year in both total cargo and containers. In the preceding weeks the port of Shanghai had weathered three strong typhoons in a row, with ships piling up waiting for a berth. In September the port cleared the backlog, returned to normal operations and recorded its highest monthly volume ever; one terminal handled more than 30,000 TEU in a single day for the first time.

The move from 4.0% to 4.5% in the cumulative container figure in a single month suggests September was well above the year's average. It is likely, however, that part of this growth is cargo held up by the weather and loaded late: the monthly figure alone does not show how much of the rebound is new demand.

China port throughput: what it means for importers

Volumes alone say nothing about freight rates or the delivery time of a single shipment. They do, however, point to a context in which it is worth moving early on three points.

The first is booking: with major ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo near their highs and Chinese New Year in early February 2027, goods meant for spring sales should be booked in good time, asking the forwarder for written confirmation of space and sailing date.

The second is weather: the backlog cleared in Shanghai shows that a typhoon can delay loading even when goods are ready at the factory. For delivery dates promised to customers it is worth leaving a margin and asking the supplier for the date of delivery to the port, not just the end-of-production date.

The third is the port of departure: if the supplier is inland, along the Yangtze, goods may reach Shanghai by river; it is worth knowing which leg is planned and how much time it adds before loading.

From factory to port, with dates under control

With containers at Chinese ports up 4.5% in nine months and Shanghai at its September record, what makes the difference is knowing when goods actually leave the quay. This is the work La Merce does for companies importing from China: agreeing the port delivery date with the supplier, booking space before Chinese New Year and building typhoon delays into the dates promised to customers.

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