Containers are handled at the Yongzhou Container Terminal in the Jintang port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on Feb 20. [Photo/IC]

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled about 7.99 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first two months of the year, up 19.8 percent year-on-year, ranking second globally behind Shanghai Port's 9.41 million TEUs.

Its throughput exceeded that of the Port of Singapore by about 680,000 TEUs over the period, lifting Ningbo-Zhoushan Port to second position. The result came against a backdrop of continued geopolitical tensions affecting global trade routes.

The port's route network has helped support the growth. It currently operates more than 300 shipping routes, linking more than 700 ports in over 200 countries and regions around the world.

That network gives the port greater flexibility to adjust logistics paths when some routes face disruption. At the same time, ongoing smart port upgrades have improved terminal efficiency, helping maintain round-the-clock operations during periods of tight shipping capacity.