The second phase of the Yangshan Deep-Water Port, the country's
biggest, opened yesterday, bringing Shanghai one step closer to
becoming an international shipping center.
Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said at the opening ceremony that the
throughput capacity of Shanghai Port had reached 20 million TEUs
(20-foot equivalent units) this year, a record for the city. The
port recorded a throughput of approximately 18.1 million TEUs last
year.
Shanghai Port is the third largest container port in the world
after Singapore and the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region.
Yangshan is a key part of the effort to develop Shanghai Port.
Yangshan phase-I began exactly one year ago. The port is on the
East China Sea and is linked to the mainland by a 32.5-kilometer
long bridge. Yangshan has a depth of 16 meters, double that of the
city's old ports, which is enough to accommodate the world's
largest container ships.
The second phase of the Yangshan project includes four berths on
a 1.4 kilometer waterfront. Located to the west of the five-berth
phase-I it'll extend the port's current waterfront to about 3
kilometers and has a designed handling capacity of 2.1 million TEUs
annually.
"The combination of Yangshan phase-II and phase-I will increase
the port's water-to-water shipment transfers and reinforce its
function as a hub port. It could also provide shipping companies
with full-time, customized services," said Chen Xuyuan, president
of the Shanghai International Port Group.
(China Daily December 11, 2006)
