Ningbo, still China's No 3 as box volume rises 8pc to 15.67 million TEU

EASTERN China's Port of Ningbo lifted 15.67 million TEU, eight per cent more than in 2011, retaining its ranking as the third busiest container port in China and the sixth biggest in the world, Xinhua reports.

In the same year, the port's throughput tonnage climbed 4.5 per cent to 453 million tonnes, also ranking at the third in China and the sixth in the world.

Affected by downturn in both international and domestic market, Ningbo saw its throughput growth slow down though it managed to keep growing. Its container throughput growth slowed 3.61 per cent while overall tonnage growth slowed 0.62 percentage points.

So far, Ningbo offers 235 container shipping services with 1,400 sailings per week.