SHENZHEN port handled 106 million tons of cargo for export during 2005, an increase of 20 per cent over 2004.
The latest statistics show that general cargo passing through the port last year amounted to 153 million tons. Within this total, container throughput rose 18.6 per cent year-on-year to 16.19 million TEU, helping the port maintain the number four slot among the world's busiest container ports.
Shenzhen's largest container terminal, Yantian International Container Terminal, enjoyed strong growth in 2005, with its throughput rising 17.54 per cent year-on-year to 7.35 million TEU.
Chiwan terminal's container throughput grew by 21.65 per cent over 2004 to 4.17 million TEU, while Shekou terminal saw its container volumes surge 14.15 per cent year-on-year to 2.43 million TEU in 2005.
The port's cargo volumes and container throughput are expected to grow between 10 and 15 per cent in 2006.
Major events at the port last year that affected cargo volumes included the opening of five new container berths; the completion of port development works that added 1.91 million TEU in capacity; and the start of construction work on phase three of Yantain container terminal, Xinhua News Agency reported.