The Meishan port area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port. [Photo/cnnbcom.cn]

As of 00: 25 am on Dec 15, Ningbo Zhoushan Port had handled roughly 27.53 million containers this year, more than the total amount in 2019, according to local media reports. 

This growth has been primarily attributed to the port's move to embrace the nation's new "dual-circulation" development pattern.

The pattern refers to a development model in which the domestic market is the mainstay and the domestic and international markets complement each other.

After achieving positive year-on-year growth in container throughput in June, the port has seen accelerated growth from July to October.

In October alone, it handled roughly 2.7 million containers, representing a yearly uptick of 21.1 percent. Both the throughput amount and expansion rate hit new highs.

The port has been continuously advancing its ties with global shipping enterprises. To date, it has opened 257 container routes across the world.

Meanwhile, it has been tapping opportunities in domestic inland areas using the sea-rail combined transportation model.

The sea-rail combined transport model refers to the mechanism where goods are first loaded onto trains to Ningbo before being transported overseas by sea, and vice versa.

This year, the port opened freight trains to cities including Zhuji, Xinyang, Yichun and Yiwu. As of October, freight train services the port launched had reached 56 cities in 15 provinces and municipalities across the nation.

In September, the port handled 100,000 containers via the sea-rail model, representing a year-on-year increase of 34 percent, the largest on record in a single month.

The Chuangshan port was also linked to the railway this year, and this has greatly improved sea-rail transportation efficiency and timeliness.