4 Shenzhen Throughput: 21,416,400teu (+1.5%)

Having recorded the lowest throughput growth in China last year, Shenzhen saw box volume slide more than 20% in the first quarter of 2009, compared with the 13% decline recorded for Chinese coastal ports overall.

The "big brother" in the Pearl River Delta region that was hardest hit among all Chinese port clusters in the global financial crisis, has more than half of its volumes made up of export cargo. Research suggests that the shrinkage of exports was a mixed result from lowering global demands, which has led to the closing down of factories, and a shift of product mix in the region from toys and garments to high-end technology products that has lengthened the production cycle and reduced product size.

Despite the freefall of throughput, Yantian port area in east Shenzhen is undergoing a RmB10bn (US$1.5bn) third-phase expansion that will see the port area expanded to 344ha with 15 deepwater berths. In western Shenzhen, an extra 3m teu of annual capacity was added by Chiwan Wharf Holdings last year. Da Chan Bay Terminal One, operated by Hong Kong’s Modern Terminals, which opened in 2007 and already had three berths in use, will put its final two berths into trial operation in June 2009.

While Yantian tried to enlarge its cargo catchment area by working with Sinotrans to launch feeder services between the port and nearby manufacturing bases, such as Zhongshan; China Merchants, which controls Chiwan and Shekou in the west, has chosen to focus more on logistic business development. In April 2009, it signed a deal to work with DHL Global Forwarding on the development of the Shenzhen Qianhaiwan bonded port area.