Which port complex is the largest in the world by cargo tonnage?

The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is the world’s largest port complex by cargo tonnage. In 2024, it handled more than 1.37 billion tonnes of cargo, extending its run as the global leader in total cargo throughput.

The complex combines facilities around Ningbo on mainland Zhejiang with terminals on Zhoushan’s islands. Its traffic includes containers, crude oil, iron ore, coal, liquid bulk, and general cargo. That diverse mix is crucial: bulk commodities are extremely heavy, so a port can lead the tonnage rankings without leading the container rankings.

Shanghai is the common answer people give because it is the world’s busiest container port by twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. Those are different measures. Ningbo-Zhoushan has also ranked among the top container ports, but its particular distinction is total cargo weight. Its location near the manufacturing centers of the Yangtze River Delta, deep-water facilities, and extensive shipping connections help explain its enormous throughput. The port’s cargo-tonnage leadership is therefore not a contradiction of Shanghai’s container-port fame.