Shanghai unveils plan to become a premier international shipping hub

Shanghai has released its "Plan for Accelerating the Development of the Shanghai International Shipping Center During the 15th Five-Year Plan Period (2026-2030)." The plan sets a goal of establishing Shanghai as a modern international shipping center by 2030, featuring globally leading connectivity, high-quality and efficient services, outstanding smart and low-carbon innovation, a resilient governance system, and significantly enhanced capacity to allocate global shipping resources.

Developing the Shanghai International Shipping Center is a major national strategy and a key component of the city's broader effort to strengthen its role as an international center of economy, finance, trade, shipping and technology innovation. Speaking at a municipal press conference on the 15th Five-Year Plan, Shanghai Vice Mayor He Qing said the Port of Shanghai handled more than 55.06 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, retaining its position as the world's busiest container port for the 16th consecutive year. Shanghai's two airports also recorded a combined passenger throughput of 135 million, ranking third among cities worldwide.

Building on these strengths, the plan sets measurable targets for 2030. Annual container throughput at the Port of Shanghai is expected to exceed 58 million TEUs. With the fourth-phase expansion of Shanghai Pudong International Airport scheduled to be operational by the end of 2028, Shanghai aims to establish a leading aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region, with annual passenger throughput reaching 150 million and air cargo and mail throughput totaling approximately 4.7 million tons.

To achieve these goals, the plan outlines four key priorities.

First, Shanghai will build a world-class international seaport hub by advancing major projects, including the Xiaoyangshan North Terminal and Luojing Port Area, while securing deepwater shoreline resources to strengthen the port's core hub capacity.

Second, the city will develop a comprehensive gateway aviation hub. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the fourth-phase expansion of Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai East Railway Station, part of the Oriental Hub project, will be completed and start operation. Supporting transport infrastructure, including the second phase of the Shanghai-Nantong Railway and Metro Line 21, will also be delivered, significantly improving air-rail connectivity and enhancing the airport's global passenger and cargo network as well as its transfer hub capabilities.

Third, Shanghai will enhance its high-end shipping service capabilities. The city plans to accelerate the development of a shipping insurance ecosystem by expanding specialized insurance products for ships and multimodal transportation, scale up aircraft and ship leasing businesses, and promote ad hoc arbitration in key sectors such as shipping insurance to address gaps in premium shipping services.

Fourth, Shanghai will expedite the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of its shipping center. The city will expand the adoption of digital technologies across shipping and trade, with a focus on building a distributed collaborative data network for multimodal transportation along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It will also upgrade smart ports and airports, advance the development of intelligent inland waterways, boost the use of new-energy and clean-energy ships, and establish an international center for the certification, bunkering, and trading of green marine fuels. In addition, Shanghai will foster coordinated development across shipping-related industries and create a world-class environment for the shipping sector.

According to the latest Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index, Shanghai has surpassed London for the first time to rank second globally in overall competitiveness, reflecting the city's continued progress in strengthening its shipping-related capabilities and services.

Lu Zheng, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice, said the city will further refine its arbitration framework and services to meet the evolving needs of the shipping industry. Shanghai plans to expand the use of ad hoc arbitration in high-frequency shipping insurance subrogation cases, bolster arbitration practices in emerging areas such as electronic bills of lading and multimodal transport through a single transport document, and upgrade arbitration platforms for the shipping and aviation sectors. It will also issue guidelines on maritime notarization services, establish a one-stop cross-border notarization and authentication platform, and create a maritime judicial appraisal center to help shipping companies better manage operational risks.