Guangzhou Port has a total of 52 friendly ports covering six continents all over the world, of which eight of them were signed this year. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

Guangzhou Port has seen an overall container throughput of 21.18 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in the first 11 months of this year, ranking among the top five ports in the world in both cargo throughput and container throughput, the Guangzhou Port Authority announced on Dec 26.

"The global ranking of Guangzhou Port in the construction of an international shipping center has climbed to 16th in 2019 from 28th in 2015, according to the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index. Guangzhou Port is fourth in China only to Hong Kong Port, Shanghai Port, and Zhejiang's Zhoushan Port," said Yuan Yue, deputy director of the Guangzhou Port Authority.

Yuan noted that the monthly container throughput of Guangzhou Port in September has amounted to 2.03 million TEUs, setting a historic new high. The annual container throughput is expected to exceed over 23 million TEUs.

Eight liner ship lines for foreign trade of containers have been newly added this year, bringing the total number to 217. A total of 92 lines are heading to countries alongside the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making Guangzhou Port a major pivotal port for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to reach Africa, the Mediterranean region, and Asia.

Guangzhou Port has a total of 52 friendly ports covering six continents all over the world, of which eight of them were signed this year, including the Port of Rotterdam in Netherlands and the Port Acu in Brazil.

Guangzhou Port has devoted efforts to becoming a training base for international shipping talents. Starting from 2016, Guangzhou Port has offered professional training for 175 students from 12 port countries alongside the BRI, including Indonesia, Angola, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Malaysia, Poland, and Russia, upgrading Guangzhou's influence in the global shipping service industry.

In order to contribute to the construction of the Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou Port has carried out deeper cooperation with nearby ports like Shenzhen and Dongguan ports.

The port has also gained great achievements in developing its water leisure industry, as 93 cruises berthed in Guangzhou. The tourist number of overseas cruises is expected to reach 441,800, ranking third in China.