In 738 AD, Ningbo Port was put into use formally. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was known as one of the three major seaports for foreign trade, along with Yangzhou and Guangzhou. In the Song Dynasty, it became one of the three major port cities for foreign trade together with Guangzhou and Quanzhou. It was declared as one of the òFive Treaty Portsó after the Opium War.

    Ningbo Port is well situated at the middle of the coastline of Mainland China, just at the T-shaped joining point of North-south shipping line and the golden waterway of the Yangtze River. It is a modern port composed of Beilun (seaport), Zhenhai (estuary port), Daxie Port, Chuanshan Port and old Ningbo harbor (inland river port) areas, with comprehensive functions and multi-level berths. Ningbo Port has become the main storage and transshipment base for crude oil, iron ore, containers and liquid chemical products of Mainland China. In 2005, the port handled 269 million tons of cargo, ranking second in the ports of Mainland China.and 4th worldwide. The TEU containers handled by this port reached 5.208 million, increased by30%, ranking 4th of coastal ports in main land China, 14th worldwide. There are more than 147 regular shipping lines and 69 ocean shipping lines for container between Ningbo Port and other main ports all over the world. The container liner services count more than 600 a month. Till the year of 2010, the cargo throughout will reach 360 million tons, while the TEU containers handled by this port will top 10 million.

    Ningbo Port is a deep-water port famous all over the country. The shallowest section of the entry channel is more than 18.2 meters deep, enough for vessels of 250,000 tonnages to enter freely. Huge ships of 250,000 to 300,000 tonnages can also navigate at tide. There are 191 berths totally, 25 of which are deep-water berths, from 50 thousand tons to 250 thousand tons. It is the port owning most large and super large berths deep-water in Mainland China. Free from big waves and strong winds, there are more than 350 workable days in a year. Ningbo Port is an ideal place for developing ocean-going transport to North and South America and Oceania. Up to now it has built trade and transport relations with over 600 ports of more than 100 countries and regions in the world.

    Headed by Ningbo Port, Ningbo has formed overall transportation network including highway, railway, aviation and waterway. Highways connect Ningbo to more than 300 important cities; 20 pairs of trains go to every corner across the country everyday, and 7 of which running between Shanghai and Ningbo, Hangzhou and Ningbo everyday; Ningbo Lishe Airport, the 4th international airports in Yangtse Delta, possesses more than 40 lines with 560 flights a week. There are 6 flights everyday flying between Ningbo and Hong Kong. And the cargo flights and airbuses between the two places are also realized.

According to the decision made by CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Zhejiang Provincial People?s Government to integrally construct Ningbo Port and Zhoushan Port, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Administrative Committee has been founded. And from January 1st,  ò Ningbo-Zhoushan Port ó  aiming to be used as its formal name. Ningbo Port, aimed to be the top 3 of international ports, will try to construct itself to be the first-class deep-water hub port in the world.