EASTERN China's Ningbo-Zhoushan port recorded world's fastest year-on-year increase of 10 per cent in its throughput tonnage last year to 570 million tonnes, Xinhua reported.

The throughput volume was 50 million tonnes more than 2008's volume, taking up 81.4 per cent in Zhejiang province's sea port throughput total.

Throughput of foreign trade cargo amounted to 240 million tonnes, taking up 92.3 per cent of the provincial total.

Statistics from the Ningbo port and shipping authority show that there have been nine ships deployed to the Ningbo city's shipping market with an aggregate capacity of 170,000 deadweight tonnes since the beginning of this year. The city's water transportation capacity is estimated to reach four million deadweight tonnes by the end of January.