Shanghai Port container throughput hits record high in Aug

Container throughput at Shanghai Port in east China reached a new monthly record of over 5.02 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in August, according to the Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd.

From January to August, the port handled a total of 36.7 million TEUs, marking a year-on-year increase of 5.3 percent.

As one of the world's largest deep-water ports, Yangshan Port handled 2.57 million TEUs in August alone, accounting for 51.2 percent of Shanghai Port's total monthly throughput.

Despite significant disruptions from strong convective weather in August, Yangshan Port implemented multiple measures to minimize operational impact. These efforts ensured the safe handling of 796 international container vessels, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to the previous month.

"In August, Yangshan Port encountered two Force 9 strong gales, yet container ships on international trunk lines remained unaffected," said Shen Tugaohao, deputy director of the Ship Traffic Management Center at the Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration.

The Ebola outbreak is continuing to outpace the response, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Tedros said the Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has so far resulted in 1,094 reported cases, including 277 deaths. Neighboring Uganda has also recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths.

Despite efforts to scale up response measures and strengthen disease surveillance and detection capacities, significant challenges remain, Tedros said, warning that "the outbreak is continuing to outpace the response."

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, he said.

The DRC is facing its 17th Ebola outbreak, which was declared in mid-May. The outbreak has affected the eastern part of the country and spread to neighboring Uganda.