Chinese mega ports reach 26 in 2011

SHANGHAI - The number of China's ports with a handling capacity of over 100 million tons reached 26 by the end of 2011, said a newly released statistical bulletin on China's highway and waterway transportation networks.

The figure was 22 in 2010, and 12 in 2006. Among the 26 100-million-ton handling capacity ports, 17 are costal and nine are inland, said the statistical bulletin, which was commissioned by China's Ministry of Transport.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, in east China's Zhejiang province, came in on top, with an annual handling capacity of 694 million tons of throughput in 2011, according to the statistical bulletin.

Eleven ports on the list are located in the Yangtze River Delta, and two are in the central and western regions of China: the Chongqing Port and Beibu Gulf Port.

China has also seen a strong momentum of growth in its inland ports with three of the four newly listed ports in 2011.

The central government will allocate 45 billion yuan ($7.15 billion) in the 2011-2015 period to facilitate inland navigation.