Global container shipping boom

MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The world's biggest ports are packed with a growing number of container ships, sparking an unprecedented port expansion from Hong Kong to Hamburg.

In Hong Kong, for example, an average of 18 container ships drop anchor every day and the docks behind the harbor walls are filled with 60,000 containers at any given time, Der Speigel reported Friday.

At any given moment, there are 6 million containers on ships at sea across the world's oceans.

Hutchison Port Holdings, the world's largest port operator, runs 251 terminals in 43 ports. It is building a deepwater terminal in Shanghai, new dockage in Malaysia and container facilities in Oman. In addition, it is spending $250 billion upgrading assets in Panama.

Part of the reason for the boom in maritime shipping is its low-cost: Shipping a bottle of wine from Australia to Germany adds only 5 cents to its final price.