The container thruput of east China's Ningbo Port is reported to surpass 5 million as of Monday, up 20 percent over last year.

 

The port's average growth rate of container thruput amounted to 42 percent during the past five years, ranking first in China, said Li Linghong, president of Ningbo Port Group.

 

This year, the port played host to 1,300 ships with each carrying 4,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) at a time.

 

A ship of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, laden with 9,200 TEUs, anchored at the Ningbo Port last July, making it possible for Ningbo to become one of the world largest container port.

 

The port carved out 40 new sea routes this year, bringing the total number of sea routes to 147, including 69 oceangoing routes, which travel to Europe, North America and Middle East.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2005)