Shanghai pushed its daily container throughput above 200,000 teu for the first time, moving 203,881 teu on August 1, according to Splash247. That is nearly 9% above the previous record of 187,312 teu set on June 9.
The record day came in the wake of Typhoon Bavi, which disrupted Shanghai for four days in mid-July. Splash247 reported that a large number of deepsea and feeder vessels arrived together after sheltering from the storm, creating pressure on berths, yards and landside operations.
Record day after typhoon disruption
Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) said the port returned to full operations on July 14 and maintained average daily throughput of around 172,000 teu while clearing the vessel and container backlog, according to Splash247. The August 1 peak was driven in part by one operating shift that handled a record 71,728 teu.
The numbers behind the record day:
| Metric | Figure | Date / Period |
|---|---|---|
| Daily port throughput | 203,881 teu | August 1 |
| Previous daily record | 187,312 teu | June 9 |
| Record single shift | 71,728 teu | August 1 |
| Yangshan phase four terminal | 29,910 teu | August 1 |
| Luojing container terminal | 8,373 teu | August 1 |
| Fredericia Container Terminal annual total | 164,968 teu | 2025 |
Terminal records and benchmark comparisons
Several terminals set individual records during the recovery. The automated Yangshan phase four terminal handled 29,910 teu on August 1, while the Luojing container terminal processed 8,373 teu, Splash247 reported.
To put the record into perspective, Shanghai handled nearly 39,000 teu more on August 1 than Denmark's Fredericia Container Terminal moved during the whole of 2025. Fredericia's annual total of 164,968 teu was itself a record for the terminal.
Half-year and annual throughput
Shanghai handled more than 28m teu during the first six months of 2026, an increase of 6.2% year on year, according to Splash247. Volumes at the Yangshan port area climbed 8.1% to more than 15m teu.
The port moved a record 55.06m teu in 2025, up 6.9%, retaining its position as the world's largest container port for the 16th consecutive year.
Shipper and operator implications
For freight forwarders, ocean carriers and 3PL operators routing cargo through Shanghai, the August 1 record shows how quickly berth and yard utilisation can peak when postponed deepsea and feeder sailings arrive together after a storm evacuation. The four-day Typhoon Bavi disruption created a concentrated arrival window that SIPG absorbed while keeping average daily throughput around 172,000 teu, but such surges can still produce extended waiting times for individual vessels.
Operators should expect vessel bunching and yard congestion in the wake of any future storm-related suspension and should book truck and rail connections only after confirming berth windows. The high throughput at the automated Yangshan phase four terminal indicates that automated terminals in the Shanghai complex are carrying a substantial share of the recovery load.
Watch list
Whether further daily records follow as the Typhoon Bavi backlog is fully cleared and vessels continue to arrive in clusters. The next half-year throughput disclosures from Shanghai International Port Group to see whether the 6.2% growth pace holds. Terminal-level record performance at Yangshan phase four and Luojing during the remainder of the peak shipping season.
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