Container vessels stream into Qingdao Port. [Photo/WeChat account: Shandong-Port]

In an international container port index recently released by the World Bank and UK-based global financial information provider IHS Markit Ltd, Qingdao Port – operated by Shandong Port Group, or SPG, based in China's East Shandong province – was reportedly a star player.

Qingdao stood out among 351 ports worldwide in the Container Port Performance Index 2020 as the only port in the 20 million annual TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent units, container-handling club to enter the top three of the CPPI 2020 list.

CPPI's prestigious standing

The CPPI 2020 – developed by World Bank's Transport Global Practice and IHS Markit's Maritime & Trade Division – is a comparable index of global container port performances.

How Qingdao Port maintains high productivity

Productivity is a significant indicator revealing container port competitiveness. The fact that Qingdao Port took the third spot in the index was seen as being by no means accidental. 

Qingdao Port, however, handled over 21 million TEUs in 2020. It experienced steady growth in container volumes, while maintaining a high performance in handling productivity. On account of this, Qingdao Port, a member of the 20 million TEU-handling club – appears to have delivered an even better performance than the two of the top three ports.

It is understood that collaborative support from port-related institutions has offered reliable assistance for Qingdao Port's world-leading productivity. Through better cooperation – with Maritime Safety Administration, customs, border control authorities and pilot stations – it is believed that the port's overall container productivity has been greatly improved. 

Way forward to improving container port efficiency

As the only pilot unit selected by the Ministry of Transport for developing a smart port in China, Qingdao Port's intelligent air-track transport system – the first of its kind in the world – is accelerating its construction. 

Moving forwards, SPG is said to be anticipating another stellar performance for Qingdao Port in the CPPI 2021 index.