RAS question
Which is the world's largest container port by TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) throughput?
Correct answer: (C) Shanghai (China).
Shanghai in China is the world's largest container port by TEU throughput.
Explanation
Shanghai is the answer because container-port size here is being measured by TEU throughput, the standard count of container volume based on a twenty-foot equivalent unit. Shanghai has led the world by this measure since 2010 and handles more than 47 million TEUs annually. International Services Shanghai gives a newer figure: Shanghai Port handled 51.51 million TEUs in 2024 and was the world's busiest container port for the 15th consecutive year. That is why this is a throughput question, not a question about geographical size, transshipment reputation, or regional importance.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rotterdam is Europe's largest port, but the question asks for the global leader in TEU throughput, where Shanghai is far ahead.
- (B) Singapore is a major transshipment hub and the world's second-busiest container port, but Shanghai surpassed it in total TEU throughput.
- (D) Los Angeles-Long Beach is the busiest port complex in the USA, but it ranks far below Shanghai in global container throughput.
Concept
This tests transport geography through the idea of containerisation and TEU as a standard measure of port traffic. RAS often asks such rankings because ports connect economic geography, global trade routes and logistics hubs.