A view of Ningbo Zhoshan Port in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo and Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province, which are home to the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world's largest port by cargo volume throughput, were ranked 10th among global shipping hubs in terms of comprehensive strength, according to the Xinhua-Baltic ISCD Index 2021.

The International Shipping Centre Development (ISCD) Index was released as a collaboration between the Baltic Exchange, an independent source of global maritime market information, and the Chinese state news agency Xinhua on July 11.

The index, which has released eight editions, provides an annual independent ranking of the performance of the world's largest cities that offer port and shipping business services.

It is the first time for the two cities to make the top 10 list, rising 13 slots from 2015 and one slot from 2020.

The report evaluated 43 sampled cities from the three aspects of port conditions, shipping services, and comprehensive environment.

London topped the ranking, followed by Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Athens, New York-New Jersey, and Ningbo-Zhoushan. 

The Ningbo Zhoushan Port handled more than 1.17 billion metric tons of cargo in 2020, up by more than 4 percent year-on-year and topping the global rankings for the 12th straight year.

The port's container throughput reached 28.72 million TEUs last year, up over 4 percent year-on-year and ranking third globally.

Experts who compiled the report said that Ningbo and Zhoushan are playing an irreplaceable role in the operation system of the global supply chain.

According to a development plan recently released by Zhejiang, the province aims to build Ningbo Zhoushan Port into a global first-class port, with its comprehensive strength ranking among the top eight worldwide by 2025.