Taicang port ranks 15th out of 100 in a list of the ports in the world with the most growth potential in 2017, according to an announcement recently released by the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI). [Photo/WeChat account: tcshizhi]

Taicang port ranked 15th out of 100 in a list of the ports in the world with the most growth potential in 2017, according to a recent announcement by the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI).

SISI calculated the list based on six indicators, including the growth rate of the port's handled containers, the GDP growth rate of the area where the port is located, the amount invested in the port, the number of new shipping routes, natural conditions and preferential policies issued by local government.

In 2017, Taicang port delivered 4.5 million containers, up by 10.5 percent year-on-year and another eight container shipping routes were added to increase the number of shipping routes in the port to 191.

A total of 440 million yuan ($65.56 million) was invested in Taicang port, which is now home to 90 berths, of which 36 are 10,000-ton ones and 10 are container berths.

"The global economy saw a robust recovery in 2017," Zhen Hong, secretary-general of SISI, said. "The global business climate has improved and the rate of global container throughput has picked up somewhat."

Singapore, Ningbo and Rotterdam ports top the list and besides Taicang port, another six Chinese ports are included in the list: Ningbo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Tianjin.