Ningbo Zhoushan port sees cargo throughput rise to 1.119 billion tons in 2019, ranking first in the world.[Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo Zhoushan port in East China's Zhejiang province saw its cargo throughput rise to 1.119 billion tons in 2019, according to lcoal media reports.

The port has ranked first in the world in terms of cargo throughput for 11 years in a row.

The container throughput at the port reached 27.53 million standard containers, ranking third in the world.

The strong results are largely due to the port operator's efforts to promote efficiency and business expansion.

Last year, the port saw stable growth in the throughput of bulk commodities such as iron ores, coals and grains.

The port's annual throughput of vehicles tranported by ro-ro ships surpassed 250,000 units for the first time in 2019.

The routes connecting the port with ASEAN countries increased rose from 28 to 38 last year, making the port a transit station for ASEAN countries looking to export goods to regions such as Japan, South Korea and North America.

The port has also made significant efforts to develop sea-railway combined transportation. Goods are first loaded onto trains in Ningbo, and then transported to overseas countries by sea, and vice versa. Currently, the services cover 50 cities in 15 provinces and municipalities across the nation.

The port's sea-rail combined transport business volume surpassed 800,000 containers in 2019, a yearly uptick of over 33.3 percent, official data shows. The port ranked second nationwide in terms of sea-rail combined transport business volume, behind only Qingdao port.