International Cargo Seaport: Port of Busan

As one of South Korea’s busiest and most important ports, the Port of Busan owns its reputation thanks to its location in one of the world’s most vibrant cities and the historic journey. There’s a lot of exciting information that can further expand your knowledge about this particular place. We thus recommend you to keep reading the article below.

About the Port of Busan

Facing Japan’s Tsushima Island is the Port of Busan, which is situated along the Naktong riverbank (“Nakdonggang”)—the southeastern point of the Korean Peninsula, to be precise. It’s currently the biggest cargo seaport in northeast Asia and the globe’s fifth busiest. According to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), it ranked as the tenth-busiest port as seen from its overall tonnage and the sixth-busiest based on its 20-foot TEUs of containerized goods in 2007.

Throughout the Korean War (from 1950 to 1953), this port and Jeju city were the only places not taken by North Korea. After the war concluded, it re-established itself as a self-governing city. Paper, ceramics, chemicals, electronics, steel, automobiles, and shipbuilding have been among the city’s principal industries since.

The 2004-formed Busan Port Authority (BPA) is in charge of operating, managing, and developing the port. BPA has set a goal of transforming the port into a global sea commerce point.

The History

The Port of Busan has become a trade center since the 15th century. When their door was opened to the Japanese in 1876, followed by foreign consumers seven years afterward, Busan city ascended the throne of becoming Korea’s first international port.

The primary port infrastructure was located on the north side of Yeong Island (Yeong-do), known mainly as the North Port region, in 1988. Fishers frequented South Port, on the other hand, which was located on the west of the island.

The island’s northeast side became accessible after additional high-tech container facilities (including Gamman) got constructed in 2018. Moreover, the development of Dadaepo and Gamcheon ports drastically altered the shoreline as well.

More about the Port of Busan

The Port of Busan operates about 40% of South Korea’s overall maritime freight, 42% of the country’s fisheries production, and 80% of the country’s container cargo. Every day, they can also manage roughly 130 ships. In 2007 alone, they managed up to 13.3 million TEUs of containerized goods and approximately 365,000 TEUs of hazardous and refrigerated products.

Some of the popular containerized cargoes transited here in that year include sugar, milling industry products, natural sand, rough wood, iron ore, oils and fats, leather, coal, crude petroleum, scrap metal, meat, and fertilizers.

The following year (2008), 13.426 million TEUs of container freight were also successfully handled, making it the world’s fifth-greatest yearly cargo haul at the time. A 21.7 percent increase in container freight throughput was recorded in July 2010—up to 1.23 million TEUs.

We hope the information about the Port of Busan above gives you something new to know about! Go ahead and try checking out our other informative port-related articles as well!