The Jintang Port Area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/IC]

The monthly container throughput in Ningbo-Zhoushan Port hit a record high in January, with 2.598 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled in the month, up 9.3 percent year on year. 

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has ranked first globally in cargo throughput for 10 consecutive years, and came among the world's top three in container throughput last year. 

It had established 246 lanes to connect with more than 600 ports in over 190 countries and regions by the end of last year, and has become a hub for Southeast Asian countries to export goods to North America, Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions around the world. 

Statistics show that among the 26.35 million TEUs that the port handled last year, 23.2 million were for exports or imports, and half of the 246 lanes are ocean-going ones. 

To date, it has opened 13 rail-sea intermodal cargo routes in China, with its business covering 46 domestic cities, bringing a faster logistics speed. For example, cargo from Chongqing used to be sent to Shanghai by river before being exported to other countries, which takes nearly half a month. But now it can be sent to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port by rail, taking only 57 hours.