ports

The 5 main ports in the world and their connection with railroads!

Cargo ports came in human history to increase food and transport capacity. And even with the evolution of modals that hasn't changed! Unfortunately, none of the Brazilian ports are among the main ports in the world.

Even the Port of Santos, which is the largest and most important of the ports, has shown particularly promising growth in recent years. Moving up three positions in the “Loyd’s List Maritime Intelligenceranking of the largest ports in the world, taking into account the increase in cargo that occurred. Something quite unique considering that most of the world's main ports are located in the East, in the Northern Hemisphere.

However, the Port of Santos is not the only one with potential. The ports of Itaguaí and Paranaguá, respectively the second and third largest in Brazil, are also on the rise. Paranaguá is currently the largest bulk port in Brazil and Itaguaí is in the process of becoming the first South Atlantic Hub Port. This means that both have high potential for attachment to other cargo transport sectors in the country, such as the railroads. However, none of them are among the main ports in the world, which shows that Brazil still has a lot to grow!

5 main ports in the world!

Ports de Shanghai

Ports de Shanghai

China is one of the biggest exporters in the world. In recent years its international projects have expanded in an overwhelming way, creating initiatives such as the China-Pakistan corridor and annexing neighboring countries through railroads. It is no secret to anyone, especially Brazilians, that it is certainly a modern and business-oriented country.

The biggest example of this is found in its ports, in this case, specifically in the port of Shanghai. The largest in the world considering transported volume, it has already reached unimaginable data of more than 32 million TEU (container with a measure equivalent to twenty feet) loaded.

However, curiously, there is still an obvious obstacle in the situation of this which is one of the main ports in the world: the lack of relationship with rail transport. As in Brazil, China depends on a shipment that comes and goes through roads (highways) to the port. Not only is this a wasted opportunity to grow more undervalued and undervalued sectors in both countries, it is also a future problem as Shanghai increasingly needs to expand its facilities to accommodate the growing demand at the port.

The interesting thing about the case is how similar it is to the Brazilian problem, and how it is a question of re-evaluating transport systems that can be connected and made more efficient than they already are, even though both are at their current maximum state of productivity.


This lack of connection between the railroad sector and the main ports in the world has proved to be a problem of the contemporary world, which must be worked on as soon as possible so that it can be used in the way it should.

Port of Singapore is among the world's top ports

In Singapore there is also a certain similarity with the Brazilian case. With a port that is currently the second largest in the world, having once been the first, Singapore has depended on its ports throughout its history.

An island country that is connected to its neighbors through sea bridges and other ports, the main form of transport for people there is through highways and railroads. With two railroads, the Massive Rapid Transit that runs throughout the country and the Light Rail Transit that is part of public transport, one of the cheapest in the world, both are not yet connected to their adjacent transport sectors

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port

The 5 main ports in the world and their connection with railroads!

The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, one of the largest in the world, has more and more opportunity to grow. This is because, unlike the other ports mentioned here, this one has a project to connect with the rail sector.

And it is not a basic railroad, but a project to install a bullet train that connects the port 77 kilometers away. For the third largest port in the world, which transported 28.5 million container units in 2020, this means an unimaginable expansion in the current scenario.

It is this importance that China has always attached to its ports and how they are an intrinsic part of its history that has led them to prosper so much in the long run. The numbers are showing and there is no sign of stopping.

Port of shenzhen

The port of Shenzhen is another port in China that has a different characteristic, as there are several companies that control the port. 

There are 40 shipping companies and more than 130 international routes, and it is a port that also has projects to connect with the railroad sector, among others present in Chinese territory. 

However, something important that needs to be noted beyond the simple connection between the world's largest ports and railroads is that railroads also need to be expanded exponentially. Because, if proper attention is not given to both sectors, the conciliation between them and the bottlenecks that existed in the future will become unfeasible. Precisely for this reason, railroads are such a precious alternative, as they require planning that is incomparable to the railroad sector, which allows for unlimited growth.

Porto de Guangzhou

The 5 main ports in the world and their connection with railroads!

Another port that has a bullet train connection project is the Port of Guangzhou. In the desire to remain among the main ports in the world in China, a recent idea that was developed for him was to connect with Hong Kong, also one of the main ports in the world. It will be the first time that Hong Kong will be annexed to the central land of China via rail transport.

As Hong Kong is an Asian pillar in communication and business internationally, this will end up being unfounded for the expansion that China is planning with its multimodal projects throughout its territory.

Conclusion on the main ports of the world

In conclusion, the world's main ports reveal to the business world a new opportunity and also a new problem.

The opportunity is about how if given due care to the country's important transport sectors, they are able to grow beyond their own territory, in an infinite way. Contact that this is planned, thought according to all existing preliminaries, and thinking about an ever greater future. Only then will the world's main ports continue to be what they are.

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