Yangshan Deep-Water Port

Yangshan Deep-Water Port is a huge container port in the sea south of Shanghai, China. It was built on land reclaimed from the sea to join the Lesser Yangshan Island with many nearby islands in Hangzhou Bay.

It is linked to the mainland by the 32.5-kilometre Donghai Bridge and is part of the Port of Shanghai. In 2015 the port handled 36.54 million standard containers, and by 2025 it exceeded 50 million. The giant cranes and automated machines at the port show how modern shipping moves goods around the world with few people on the quay. Ships from all over the world stop here to load and unload goods.

Why was it built out at sea?

Shanghai's older port at the Huangpu River mouth was too shallow for the largest container ships, which often had to wait for high tide. Yangshan allows berths up to 15 metres deep that can handle today's biggest ships. Construction began after decisions in 2000 and 2001, and the first phase opened in 2004. Phases one and two have nine berths along a three-kilometre quay.

How big is it?

Port officials said in 2011 that Shanghai's port was on track to move 12.3 million standard containers in the year, up from 10.1 million in 2010, which would make it the world's busiest container port ahead of Singapore. Yangshan is part of China's Maritime Silk Road plan. Its newest terminal, Phase IV, is one of the biggest automated container terminals anywhere.

On the globe

The model shows rows of container cranes and stacked containers on the island port.