Top 10 Deepest Seaports In The World

The deepest seaports in the world are designed to accommodate the largest container ships, bulk carriers, and commercial vessels carrying massive cargo volumes. They offer several advantages due to their strategic geographical location, enabling them to serve as centres of transhipment, booming maritime trade and industrial development.

In this article, we will discuss the 10 deepest seaports in the world, based on their maximum depths.

1. Port of Sines, Portugal

Located on the west coast of Portugal, around 58 nm south of Lisbon, this port with a maximum depth of 28 m, is considered to be the deepest seaport in the world.

Around 1400 ships, 27,200,000 tonnes of cargo, including 230,000 TEU are handled annually at this port. Principal cargoes handled here include bulk solids, LNG, coal, general cargo, and containers.

It has 5 specialised terminals which are protected by breakwaters. There is a fishing harbour, a leisure craft marine and also a service facility.

The Liquid Bulk Terminal of the port is the biggest in the country. It has 6 jetties and can receive ships up to 350,000 tonnes DWT. It can handle crude, liquified gases, refined products and other liquid bulk simultaneously.

The Sines Multipurpose Terminal deals with solid bulk, general cargo and RORO. It has 4 berths with a total length of 645 m and can accommodate ships weighing up to 190,000 DWT.

The LNG Terminal handles over 60% of the natural gas used in the country. It has a jetty which can accommodate tankers up to 216,000 m3.

Sines Container Terminal – Terminal XXI accommodates the biggest container ships.

2. Yangshan Port, China

This deepsea port lies to the southeast of Shanghai, 72 km from the Yangtze River Sanctuary and has a maximum depth of up to 27 m.

It is a deepwater container handling facility, which comprises 3 areas, namely the Yangshan wharves, the Donghai Bridge and the Luchao Port Logistics Park on the mainland.

It is situated on reclaimed land and will have 30 berths which could help in tackling congestion at the Shanghai Port.

The biggest automated container terminal in the world, Yanghan Phase IV, has been under construction since 2014, in an area spanning 2.23 million square metres. It will have 7 berths with an annual throughput of 4 million TEUs.

The port also has an LNG Berth and China Terminals oil jetties, and massive storage facilities.

The Phases 1,2 and 3A handled around 7,550,000 TEU. The port is visited by 96 vessels annually.

3. Port of Rotterdam

Located at the mouth of River Maas, Rotterdam is one of the deepest seaports in the world with a depth of 24 m and no locks. It is 40 km long and has 55 miles of quays. It has 122 jetties, 23 berths, 29 tug boats and 6 pilot boats.

It has more than 90 terminals which specialise in handling liquid bulk cargo, dry bulk, containers, RORO and other miscellaneous cargo, including fruits and juices, steel and paper.

It handles more than 400 million tonnes of cargo annually and serves a market of around 500 million European consumers.

About 33,700 vessels, 434,610,000 tonnes of cargo and 10,000,000 TEUs are handled annually at the Rotterdam Port.

4. Port of Tanger Med, Morocco

The port lies on the Strait of Gibraltar, with a handling capacity of around 10 million TEUs, and 142 million tonnes of cargo, making it the largest port in Africa and a maritime gateway between Europe and the African continent.

It has a maximum depth of up to 22 m and specialises in RORO, Bulk cargo and containers.

The Tanger Med Complex consists of the Tanger Med Port 1 which has 2 container terminals, a rail terminal, a hydrocarbon terminal, a general cargo terminal and a vehicles terminal.

Tanger Med 2 Port has two container terminals. There is also a Passenger terminal, a RORO port and a ferry terminal.

5. Port Hedland, Australia

Located on the northwest coast of Australia, this is a major deepsea port for loading iron ore. It has 12 berths in the inner harbour, with a maximum depth of around 20 m.

It was named after Captain Hedland, the Master of a vessel which arrived there in 1863. The port was developed to cater to the needs of the pastoral industry in East Pilbara, with the first jetty being built in 1896.

The facility recorded the largest bulk cargo throughput in Australia in 2022. It has a swinging basin at the head of the harbour.

Major imports include fuel, general cargo, bulk cement and sulphuric acid while exports comprise iron ore, copper concentrate, manganese, salt, chromite and livestock.

Around 1500 ships and more than 199,000,000 tonnes of cargo are handled annually at the facility.

6. Port of Colombo’s International Container Terminal

The Colombo Port lies on the west coast of Sri Lanka and is one of the deepest seaports in the country. It covers 201.5 ha and has 2 entrances with breakwaters.

It is a vital transhipment facility which has 4 container terminals, of which the Colombo International Terminal with a 2.4 million TEU capacity and 4 berths, has a maximum depth of 18 m.

It has 14 berths with a draft of 10.2 m which handles break bulk, fertiliser, sugar, billets, timber, steel, project cargo, locomotives, gypsum, clinker, oil, naphtha, marine fuel etc.

About 30,900,000 tonnes of cargo, 4,100,000 TEU and 4,200 ships are handled annually at the port.

7. Port of Santos, Brazil

Santos is the biggest port in Brazil and South America. It lies along the coast of Sao Paulo, around 345 kilometres south of Rio de Janeiro and is one of the deepest sea ports in the world.

This port has 32 specialised terminals and 65 berths. The port links 125 countries and over 600 ports and harbours. It handles containers, dry bulk, liquid bulk, RORO, passengers etc.

It has a maximum depth of up to 17 metres.

Major exports include coffee, soya beans, orange juice, bananas, oil, fuel, sugar, cotton, machinery and vehicles while imports include crude oil, wheat, salt, petrol and fertilisers.

The port handles around 133,000,000 tonnes of cargo, 4, 100,000 TEU, 5230 ships and 750,600 passengers are handled annually.

8. Busan Port, South Korea

This is a major port divided into North Port, South Port, Gamcheon Port, Dadaepo Port and Busan New Port. It has a maximum depth of up to 17 m.

The New Port comprises the main harbour which handles container cargo and large cruise ships. South Port is utilised by coastal and fishing vessels, while Gamcheon Harbour deals with dry and liquid bulk and has ship repair and dry dock facilities. Dadaepo Port is a facility for ferries and general cargo.

Principal imports include cement, machinery, grain, timber, oil, steel products, and general cargo and major exports comprise manufactured items and container goods.

Approximately 83,550 vessels, 200,000,000 tonnes of cargo, 14,200,000 TEUs and 25,000 passengers are handled annually at the port.

9. Port of Hamburg, Germany

This port on the River Elbe lies 65 nm from the open sea and is the biggest port in Germany. It has more than 320 berths which handle many cargo types, including containers and petroleum.

The port has a maximum depth of 16 metres, making it one of the deepest seaports in the country and the world.

There are many multi-purpose terminals to handle RORO, metals, forestry products, and citrus fruits.

Around 121,200,000 tonnes of cargo, 8,000,000 TEU, 112, 200 passengers and 23,800 ships are handled at the port annually.

10. Visakhapatnam Port, India

Located on India’s east coast on the Bay of Bengal, this is a principal port in the country and has 2 harbours, the outer with 8 berths and the inner with 18 berths respectively.

It also has an SPM which allows berthing only during the day. The port has a natural depth of up to 16 metres.

The outer harbour accommodates massive ships and handles liquids, LPG, Containers and General Cargo.

The inner harbour has a turning basin, shipyard and berths which serve the fertiliser plant, and oil refinery and handle bulk cargo like iron ore, molasses and coal.

Around 2,500 vessels, 65,500,000 tonnes of cargo, 55,790 TEUs and 16,780 passengers are handled annually at the facility.

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