China's Domestic Coastal Container Trade Takes Off

New market research report reveals China's coastal container trade increased nearly 10-fold over the past ten years.

In China, the annual throughput capacity of domestic coastal container rose from less than 5 million TEU in 2001 to 52.53 million TEU in 2011, increasing by nearly ten times, and accounting for 32% of total ports container throughput.

Despite the economic slow-down post 2009, the average growth rate of domestic coastal container is 37.9% during the Tenth Five-Year, and 24.5% during the Eleventh Five-Year, increasing 22.2% year-on-year in 2011, according to figures provided by the country's Planning Institute of the Transport Ministry.

The key growth of domestic coastal container shifted from coastal area ports to ports further inland. According to statistics, from 2003-2011, the average growth rate of domestic coastal container in coastal areas is 24.5%, and that of inland port is 37.2%. 


In the first four months of 2012, the coastal ports throughput of domestic trade increased by 5.9%; the container load freight increased by 12%; domestic coastal container increased by 15%, while the total of other goods category was flat.  The domestic coastal container achieved the expected growth and became the highlight in the domestic trade. The number of domestic coastal container is predicted to be up to 60 million TEU this year, and 80 million TEU in 2015.