THE world's largest container port Shanghai is aiming to achieve 4.1 per cent growth in its container throughput by 2015, up from 31.7 million TEU recorded in 2011, according to the city's first five-year plan for the shipping industry.

Shanghai is targetting an annual throughput of 33 million TEU by 2015, a figure it hopes will allow the port to remain the leader even when growth is affected by slowing global trade, Seatrade Asia Online reported.

China's State Council also aspires to develop Shanghai into a major financial and shipping centre by 2020, and the new plan outlines some tasks for the city to complete by 2015, including the creation of a market for secondhand vessels with an annual turnover of RMB10 billion (US$1.58 billion).

Another effort until 2015 is to enhance the capacity of inland waterways connecting Shanghai port and neighbouring areas in the Yangtze River Delta to reduce road usage. About 42 per cent of Shanghai port cargoes are now shipped via waterways rather than by road or rail. The city aims to raise that to 45 per cent by 2015.