MSC, the world’s leading container shipping company, made history last year by handling 4 million TEUs at Busan Port, becoming the first single shipping line to achieve this milestone.
On Tuesday, the Busan Port Authority (BPA) reported that MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) processed 4 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) at Busan Port last year.
This figure represents a 16% increase from the year before, surpassing the combined annual cargo volumes of South Korea’s major container ports, Incheon (3.56 million TEUs) and Gwangyang (2.01 million TEUs). It is the highest cargo volume handled by a single shipping line at a domestic port in a year.
The BPA attributes this achievement to continuous joint efforts with terminal operators to improve services and streamline operations at Busan Port. These efforts include easing terminal congestion and expanding access to Internal Transshipment Transport (ITT) gates.
In 2023, the BPA introduced the world’s first Transshipment Transport System (TSS). Last year, in partnership with terminal operators, it also launched a transshipment monitoring system called “Port-i.”
Leveraging Busan Port’s transshipment advantages and its terminal at Busan New Port, MSC expanded its transshipment volume by approximately 21% compared to the previous year by developing new routes and continuously increasing transshipment cargo.
BPA President Kang Jun Seok stated, “MSC’s 4 million TEU milestone underscores Busan Port’s unique competitiveness as a global transshipment hub. We remain committed to working closely with terminal operators to optimize port operations further.”