
Top 10 largest ports, statistics are based on Annual cargo tonnage.
Previously, we launched a list of ports sorted by container, Top 10 busiest ports.
However, many goods are not transported in containers, especially fundamental industrial raw materials, such as oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, etc. According to container statistics, it does not reflect the ports that mainly handle industrial resources.
So today, we launched a list sorted by cargo tonnage, Top 10 largest ports.
These two lists of ports can basically help people understand which ports are truly the world’s largest TOP 10 ports.
The following list data is based on the annual cargo tonnage ranking. If the latest data changes, the list will change accordingly to maintain the list’s accuracy.
10Dalian Port

Dalian Port is located in Dalian City in Northeast China. Established in 1899, the port was once an ice-free port competed by Russia and Japan, and its strategic position is very important. It is also China's military port, one of the berthing ports of Chinese aircraft carriers.
It is also the largest multi-purpose port in Northeast China, serving North Asia, East Asia and Pacific Rim ports. It is the trade gateway from Northeast China to the Pacific Ocean.
In 2015, Dalian Port had a water area of 346 square kilometers, a core port area of about 18 square kilometers, and a bonded port area of 6.88 square kilometers.
In 2017, the cargo throughput of Dalian Port was 451 million tons.
Dalian Port Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 大连港
- Other name
- Dalian Port
- Location
- Dalian Bay, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
- Operator
- China Dalian Port Group Co., Ltd.
- Began
- 1899
- Sea area
- Yellow Sea
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport
- Port code
- 21000600(JT/T 24-2015), CNDAG(GBT15514-2015)
- Water area
- 346 km² (2015)
- Size of port
- 18 km² (2015)
- Annual container volume
- 9.7 million TEU (2018)
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 451 million tons (2017)
- Year of opening
- 1899
9Rotterdam Port

Rotterdam Port is the largest seaport in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands.
From 1962 until 2004 it was one of the world's busiest port, now overtaken first by Singapore port and then Shanghai port. In 2018, Rotterdam was the world's eleventh-largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled. In 2017 Rotterdam was the world's tenth-largest port in terms of annual cargo tonnage.
Covering 105 square kilometres (41 sq mi), the port of Rotterdam now stretches over a distance of 40 kilometres (25 mi).Rotterdam consists of five distinct port areas and three distribution parks that facilitate the needs of a hinterland with over 50,000,000 consumers throughout the continent of Europe.
rdam was the world’s tenth-largest port in terms of annual cargo tonnage.Rotterdam Port Data
- Country
- Netherlands
- Official name
- Haven van Rotterdam
- Location
- Rotterdam, South Holland
- Operator(s)
- Port of Rotterdam Authority
- Year of opening
- 14th century
- Industrialization date
- First half of the 19th century
- Status
- In use
- Size of port
- 4,810 ha / 11,900 acres (2018)
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport, Riverport
- Features
- Smart port, Natural port, Artificial port
- Region
- Western Europe
- Sea area
- North Sea
- Annual container volume
- 14.5 million TEU (2018)
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 469 million tons (2018)
8Guangzhou Port

Guangzhou Port is a port in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. It is located in the north of the South China Sea, in the center of the Pearl River Delta, close to Macau and Hong Kong.
In ancient China's Qin and Han Dynasties (206-202 BC), the ancient port of Guangzhou was a port for China's foreign trade.
Since 1978, the Port has developed into an important port of foreign trade in southern China.
In 2017, the cargo throughput of Guangzhou Port (including Guangzhou Sea Port and Inland River Port) was 590 million tons, the container throughput was 20.37 million TEUs.
As of August 2018, It has reached more than 400 ports in more than 100 countries and regions in the world, and the port's cargo throughput in 2018 ranked fifth in the world.
Guangzhou Port Data
- Country
- China
- Official name
- 广州港
- Location
- Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou, Guangdong
- Status
- In use
- Operator
- Guangzhou Port Group Co. Ltd
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport, Riverport
- Features
- Smart port, Natural port, Artificial port
- Region
- East Asia
- Sea area
- South China Sea
- Year of opening
- 206—202 BC
- Industrialization date
- 1842
- Annual container volume
- 21.8 million TEU (2018)
- Annual container volume
- 509 million tons (2017)
7Qingdao Port

Qingdao Port is located on the shore of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, on the edge of the Yellow Sea, across the sea from Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and is an important international trading port along the Yellow River Basin in China.
As of 2011, Qingdao Port has 18 terminals and 69 berths. As of the end of 2018, Qingdao Port has more than 160 container routes.
In 2017, Qingdao began the construction of a smart port.On May 11, 2017, the first phase of the fully automated container terminal in Qingdao Port was put into commercial operation.On November 28, 2019, Qingdao Port's fully automated terminal (Phase II) went into operation.
In 2019, the cargo throughput of Qingdao Port exceeded 515 million tons, an increase of 6.1% year-on-year, and the container throughput was 21.01 million TEU, an increase of 8.8% year-on-year; operating income was 12.164 billion yuan, an increase of 3.6% year-on-year; 3.79 billion yuan, an increase of 5.5% year-on-year.
Qingdao Port Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao City, Shandong Province
- Official name
- 青岛港
- Year of opening
- 1415 AD
- Industrialization date
- 1892
- Status
- In use
- Operator
- Qingdao Port (Group) Co., Ltd.
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport
- Features
- Smart port, Natural port, Artificial port
- Region
- East Asia
- Sea area
- Yellow Sea
- Annual container volume
- 21 million TEU (2019)
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 515 million tons (2018)
- Water area
- 420 square km (2004)
6Suzhou Port

Suzhou Port, located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, is at the mouth of the Yangtze River to the East China Sea. It is the largest river port in the world.
Suzhou Port consists of 3 ports, they are Zhangjiagang Port, Changshu Port and Taicang Port.
The total cargo throughput in 2018 was 574 million tons. As of 2018, it is the world's busiest inland river port based on annual freight and container volume.
Most of the port trade is in construction materials such as coal, ore, steel and cement.
Suzhou Port Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 苏州港
- Location
- Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
- Operator(s)
- Jiangsu Suzhou Port Group Co., Ltd.
- Began
- 1968
- Sea area
- Yangtze close to East China Sea
- Port type
- Deepwater port, Riverport
- Features
- Smart port, Natural port, Artificial port
- Annual container volume
- 5.9 million TEU (2017)
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 574 million tons (2018)
5Singapore Port

Singapore Port is located at the intersection of Malacca Strait and Singapore Strait, on the southern coast of Singapore.
The port terminals are located in Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Blarney, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang and Jurong. The port is a transit point for about 140,000 cargo ships every year, and can connect 600 ports in 123 countries around the world.
The port of Singapore has 204 terminals, and the cranes equipped with the terminals can load and unload cargo, which gives the Singapore port a maritime trade control function, which connects many countries together by waterway.
In 2018, the Port handled 36.6 million TEU.
Singapore Port Data
- Country
- Singapore
- Location
- Shanghai, China
- Year of opening
- late 13th century
- Industrialization date
- 1819
- Status
- In use
- Operator(s)
- PSA International
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport
- Features
- Natural port, Artificial port
- Sea area
- Singapore Strait, Malacca Strait
- Annual container volume
- 36.6 million TEU (2018)
- Annual container volume
- 630 million tons (2018)
4Tangshan Port

Tangshan Port is located in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China. It is an artificial deep-water international seaport and the fastest growing port in China.
It is composed of three independent port areas: Jingtang Port, Caofeidian Port and Fengnan Port, which are managed separately, but are regarded as the same port for statistical purposes.
Tangshan Port is 400 nautical miles away from Incheon, South Korea, 680 nautical miles away from Nagasaki, Japan, and 935 nautical miles away from Kobe. It has smooth transportation routes with ore exporting countries such as Australia, Brazil, Peru, South Africa and India.
In 2019, Tangshan Port completed 667.4 million tons of cargo throughput, a year-on-year increase of 3.08%. The port's cargo throughput ranks third in the world.
Tangshan Port Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 唐山港
- Other name(s)
- Jingtang port, Caofeidian port, fengnan port
- Location
- Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China
- Operator(s)
- Tangshan Port Group Co., Ltd.
- Opened
- 1989
- Sea area
- Bohai Sea
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport, Riverport
- Features
- Smart port, Artificial port
- Annual container volume
- 29.4 million TEU (2019)
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 656 million tons (2019)
- Industrialization date
- 1984
3Shanghai Port

Shanghai Port is located in Shanghai, China, facing the East China Sea.
It is China's largest sea port and an inland port of China's longest river (the Yangtze River). As an inland port, it connects many cities on the Yangtze River in China. As a sea-port, it connects more than 500 ports in 214 countries and regions, and has more than 80 international routes.
The old Shanghai Port is located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, but there is no deepwater port. In 2002, Yangshan Deepwater Port began to be built.
Yangshan Deepwater Port is in Hangzhou Bay, it is a part of Shanghai Port, connected to Shanghai City by Donghai Bridge.As of 2005, the water area of Shanghai Port was 3620.2 square km (excluding Yangshan Port).
In 2019 Shanghai port handled 43.3 million TEU.
Shanghai Port Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Shanghai, China
- Official name
- 上海港
- Year of opening
- 589 AD
- Industrialization date
- 1842
- Status
- In use
- Maintained by
- Shanghai International Port Company Ltd.
- Port type
- Seaport, River-port
- Features
- Smart port, Natural port, Artificial port
- Sea area
- East China Sea
- Annual container volume
- 43.3 million TEU (2019)
- Annual container volume
- 702 million tons
2Hedland Port

Port Hedland is located in northwestern Australia near the Indian Ocean. It is one of the largest iron ore loading ports in the world and the largest port in Australia.
Port Hedland is adjacent to the ports of Walcott and Dampier and is one of the three main iron ore export ports in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
In 2019, the tonnage of cargo handled by Port Hedland reached 717 million tons.
Hedland Port Data
- Country
- Australia
- Region
- Oceania
- Status
- In use
- Location
- Port Hedland, Western Australia
- Operator
- Pilbara Ports Authority
- Opened
- 1896
- Sea area
- Indian Ocean close to Oceania
- Port type
- Deepwater port
- Features
- Natural port, Artificial port
- Annual cargo tonnage
- 717 million tons (2019)
1Ningbo Zhoushan Port

Ningbo Zhoushan Port was originally two ports, Ningbo Port and Zhoushan Port. They merged on January 1, 2006.The Port is located in Hangzhou Bay, East China Sea, and is a port of Ningbo and Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, China.
It is composed of 19 port areas including Beilun, Yangshan, Liuheng, Qushan and Chuanshan. It has a total of more than 620 production berths, including nearly 160 large berths above 10,000 tons and large, special There are more than 90 large-scale deep-water berths.
As of June 2018, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has a total of nearly 250 container routes, including more than 120 ocean routes, with an average monthly flight of about 1,500 flights.
In 2019, The Port completed a cargo throughput of 1.119 billion tons, ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years.
In 2019, The Port completed container throughput of over 27.53 million TEU.
Ningbo Zhoushan Port Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo & Zhoushan, Zhejiang
- Status
- In use
- Operator(s)
- Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co., Ltd.
- Port type
- Deepwater seaport, Riverport
- Features
- Natural port, Artificial port
- Region
- East Asia
- Sea area
- East China Sea
- Year of opening
- 738 AD
- Industrialization date
- 1842
- Annual container volume
- 27.6 million TEU (2019)
- Annual container volume
- 1.119 billion tons(2019)