The container throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan port, China's busiest port, surpasses 27 million TEUs as of Dec 23 this year. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

The container throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan port, China's busiest port, surpassed 27 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as of Dec 23 this year, according to local media reports.

The number is the highest on record for the port in East China's Zhejiang province.

The strong result is largely due to the port operator's efforts to promote the efficiency of port operation and business expansion.

The routes connecting Ningbo Zhoushan port with ASEAN countries has increased to 38, making it a transit station for these countries to export goods to regions such as Japan, South Korea and North America.

Meanwhile, the port has also made great efforts to develop the combined "sea-railway" transportation mode. The goods are first loaded to rail expresses to Xiamen, and then transported to overseas countries by sea, and vice versa.

Currently, the services have covered 50 cities in 15 provinces and municipalities across the nation.

From January to November, the combined sea-rail transport business volume of Ningbo-Zhoushan port reached 729,000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 33.8 percent.

In 2018, the port reported an annual cargo throughput of over 1 billion tonnes for a second straight year, being the only one in the world to exceed the 1-billion-tonne level. Its annual container throughput exceeded 26 million standard containers, ranking among the top three ports in the world.