Our Taiwan port performance guide guide provides an overview of Taiwan’s international commercial ports. Our Taiwan port performance guide will be updated occasionally and covers valuable information about each port.
International commercial ports of Taiwan
The numerous geographical advantages have made Taiwan a major maritime transportation hub in Asia. There are seven international commercial ports in Taiwan, namely Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Anping, Keelung, Suao, and Hualien.
Taiwan Port Performance Infographic
Below is a handy Infographic that gives you a good overview of the seven Taiwanese international commercial ports.
The port performance data in our Infographic and in this guide is sourced from the Taiwan International Ports Corporation and is based on 2023 port data.
Overall performance
Inbound vessels
The seven international commercial ports of Taiwan received 39,653 inbound vessels, of which 39% sailed to Kaohsiung, 30% to Taichung, 13% to Keelung, 12% to Taipei, 3% to Hualien, 2% to Anping, and 1% to Suao. The total gross tonnage of the inbound vessels was 721.171 million tons, of which 55% arrived at Kaohsiung, 18% at Taichung, 13% at Taipei, 11% at Keelung, and 1% each to Hualien, Anping, and Suao.
Volume of cargo handled
The ports handled a total volume of 666.328 million revenue tons, of which 485.843 million were in containers. Of the total volume, Kaohsiung handled 58.72%, Taichung 17.57%, Taipei 12.19%, Keelung 9.36%, and 2.17% by the other ports. 47.36 of the containerized volume was handled in Kaohsiung, 8.57% in Taichung, 8.69% in Taipei, and 8.28% in Keelung, while the other ports did not handle containerized cargoes.
Throughput
The ports’ cargo throughput stood at 215.97 million MT, of which Kaohsiung covered 46%, Taichung 30%, Taipei 11%, Keelung 7%, and the other ports 6%. As for container throughput, the ports managed 13.59 million TEUs, 65% by Kaohsiung, 12% by Taichung, 12% by Taipei, and 11% by Keelung, while the other ports did not handle containers.
Port Overview
Suao Port
Introduction: The port of Suao is located in a mountainous area in northern Taiwan, in Suao township. It serves as an auxiliary port to Keelung port and is an important hub supporting business in New Taipei City and Hualien County.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 127 hectares covering 13 berths with a maximum draft of 25 meters.
Free trade zone: yes
Port activity: Suao Port received 368 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 4.888 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 3.71 million MT, while no containers were handled. Suao Port handled 3.970 million revenue tons.
Keelung Port
Introduction: The port of Keelung is located in the North of Taiwan in Keelung City and can be considered the lifeline of the greater Taipei area. It is one of Taiwan’s major ports close to the Xizhi, Nangang, and Neihu science parks and the Dawulun, Ruifang, and Liudu industrial zones.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 196 hectares covering 56 berths with a maximum draft of 15.5 meters.
Free trade zone: Yes
Port activity: Keelung Port received 5,066 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 77.012 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 14.2 million MT, while the port’s container throughput reached 1.53 million TEUs. Keelung Port handled 62.362 million revenue tons of which 8.28% was containerized.
Taichung Port
Introduction: The Port of Taichung is the second-largest port in Taiwan, located in Wuqi District, Taichung. Taichung Port has a central location on Taiwan’s west coast and is the ideal cross-strait hub.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 2,903 hectares covering 58 berths with a maximum draft of 16 meters.
Free trade zone: Yes
Port activity: Taichung Port received 11,931 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 133.172 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 64.88 million MT, while the port’s container throughput reached 1.61 million TEUs. Taichung Port handled 117.064 million revenue tons of which 8.57% was containerized.
Kaohsiung Port
Introduction: The Port of Kaohsiung is the largest harbor in Taiwan, located in southern Taiwan on the west coast, adjacent to Kaohsiung City. The port has a rich history and is today a major maritime hub for shipments between Asia, Europe, and America.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 1,871 hectares covering 122 berths with a maximum draft of 17 meters.
Free trade zone: Yes
Port activity: Kaohsiung Port received 15,434 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 398.208 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 99.88 million MT, while the port’s container throughput reached 8.83 million TEUs. Kaohsiung Port handled 391.236 million revenue tons of which 47.36% was containerized.
Taipei Port
Introduction: The port of Taipei is an artificial port developed on reclaimed land in the North of Taiwan in the Bali district on the southwest side of the Tamsui River. The port is the newest international port in Taiwan and an auxiliary port to the port of Keelung providing important access to the greater Taipei area, Taoyuan Airport, Hsinchu Science Park, and other industrial areas in Northern Taiwan.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 459 hectares covering 25 berths with a maximum draft of 17.5 meters.
Free trade zone: Yes
Port activity: Taipei Port received 4,955 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 94.675 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 23.57 million MT, while the port’s container throughput reached 1.62 million TEUs. Taipei Port handled 81.210 million revenue tons of which 8.69% was containerized.
Anping Port
Introduction: The port of Anping is located in the South of Taiwan in Tainan and functions as an auxiliary port of Kaohsiung port. The designation of Anping Port as a commercial port in 1997 was driven by the need to enhance Taiwan’s maritime infrastructure and support economic growth in the Southern region.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 211 hectares covering 22 berths with a maximum draft of 12 meters.
Free trade zone: Yes
Port activity: Anping Port received 841 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 5.183 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 1.49 million MT, while the port’s container throughput reached 2100 TEUs. Anping Port handled 1.655 million revenue tons of which 0.01% was containerized.
Hualien Port
Introduction: The port of Hualien is an artificial port formed by two seawalls and the only international commercial port in Eastern Taiwan. Its location makes it an essential hub for transporting goods to and from eastern Taiwan.
Port restrictions: The port has a total land area of 171 hectares covering 25 berths with a maximum draft of 16.5 meters.
Free trade zone: No
Port activity: Hualien Port received 1,058 inbound vessels equal to a gross tonnage of 8.030 million tons. The total cargo throughput stood at 8.24 million MT, while no containers were handled. Hualien Port handled 8.827 million revenue tons.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide is useful and explains the performance of ports in Taiwan. If you have any questions, you can always contact us.
Our guide was last updated on 30 October 2024.
Photo credit: Canva, and TPCB