Two hub ports set simultaneous records. Per SIPG and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce (Port Office) on October 14, Shanghai Port handled 5.135 million TEU in September, up 6.2% year on year — a new monthly record averaging about 171,000 TEU per day; Mingdong Terminal broke its own record with 30,056 TEU in a single day. During the National Day holiday the port still moved 1.15 million TEU (+1.3%).
Ningbo-Zhoushan matched the trend. Per Ningbo Customs (CCTV News, October 16), the port handled 34.657 million TEU in January-September, up 6.7%; September alone reached 4.27 million TEU, up 11.5% year on year and 15% month on month — its best month ever. The port now runs over 300 services linking 700+ ports in 200+ countries and regions.
Typhoon after-effects are largely digested. Three strong typhoons (Bavi, Dolphin, Saudel) hit East China ports in August-September, causing vessel backlogs and longer berthing waits; industry sources report Ningbo-Zhoushan's average berthing wait is back to about one day with non-working time cut to roughly 70 minutes, while Shanghai's handling and hinterland flows have returned to normal. Port operators say they will keep tracking vessel arrivals and strengthening feeder-trunk coordination.
What this means for Japan-bound cargo: Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan are the core origin ports for China-Japan lanes, with direct fast services from Ningbo to Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama in about 4-6 days. Recovered port efficiency supports schedule reliability in the year-end peak; however, after September's concentrated export surge, space and empty containers remain tight — keep booking 7-10 days ahead for year-end shipments.
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