THE Port of Shanghai posted a 4.3 per cent increase in container volume in November year on year to 2.94 million TEU, according to figures from Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG).

Last month's box volumes also increased 4.6 per cent to 2.81 million TEU over October's throughput. In the first 11 months, Shanghai posted a 3.9 per cent year-on-year volume increase to 30.92 million TEU, closing in on last year's full-year total of 32.53 million TEU.

Throughput of the entire port of Shanghai is expected to hit 33.5 million, enabling it to stay as the world's largest container port for the fourth consecutive year, Xinhua reports.

The Yangshan terminal is expected to see its container throughput reach 14.3 million TEU by the end of this year.

Thanks to the newly-established Shanghai Free Trade Zone, Yangshan terminal's river-sea transshipments have been growing and is now taking up more than 40 per cent of its total transshipment volume.

International transshipments are deemed as the one with the greatest potential among Yangshan's businesses. The sector currently takes up only 10 per cent in Yangshan's transshipments. Since the free trade zone was set up, many carriers are planning to adjust their shipping lanes for more transshipments via Yangshan.