Ports
In 2009 on average, container ships made more than 9,000 port calls, and vehicle vessels just over 1,000 port calls per week. This means workers at ports worldwide loaded and unloaded more than 10,000 liner ship stops per week. The average ship made 2.1 port calls per week.
Average Weekly Port Calls Made by Container and Vehicle Vessels, First 35 Weeks of 2009
Note: The first week of 2009 was a short week and is excluded.
Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research, AISLive
As the largest exporter of goods moving on container services, China has many ports that rank in the top fifty global container ports. However, Singapore ranks as number one because it is an important hub where containers from one liner service are transferred to another liner service for on-carriage to their final destination. The top 50 containers ports represent 28 countries demonstrating the truly global nature of the liner shipping business and the importance of the network of ports that facilitate timely and efficient ship and cargo movement.