During the National Day holiday, massive cargo ships shuttle between various ports amid bustling loading and unloading operations, enabling rapid inbound and outbound movement of goods for both domestic and foreign trade.
As a critical hub linking the domestic and international dual circulations, ports serve as a “barometer” of economic development. In the first eight months of this year, China’s total import and export volume of goods rose by 17.6% year-on-year. Port cargo throughput reached 12.06 billion tonnes, of which foreign trade cargo volume increased by 2.8% year-on-year.
During the National Day holiday, four giant container vessels lined up at the Port of Shanghai. Fully automatic quay cranes hoist and lower with precision, while more than one hundred automated guided vehicles (AGVs) shuttle silently. In the first three days of the holiday, the automated terminals of the Port of Shanghai handled over 79,000 TEUs, representing an 18.7% year-on-year increase. The total throughput for the seven-day holiday is projected to exceed 180,000 TEUs. “We have adopted intelligent management for vessel berthing and departure, as well as cargo loading and unloading etc. We strive to maximize port operational efficiency,” said Huang Hua, an official from the Port of Shanghai.
On the afternoon of October 7, a vessel arriving from Europe berthed at Dalian Container Terminal in Liaoning Province, with seven handling lines starting operation simultaneously. Dalian Container Terminal Co., Ltd. handles more than 98% of the foreign trade container throughput in Northeast China and has opened five new foreign trade shipping routes this year. A relevant official of the terminal noted, “We need to finish loading and unloading of nearly 4,900 TEUs within a berthing window of less than 20 hours.” During the National Day holiday, the workload at the container terminal stayed high. The total cargo handling volume is expected to increase by about 20% year-on-year. “Cargo includes grain bound for southern provinces of China, as well as precision instruments, complete vehicles and equipment components destined for Europe.”
At present, 60 automated terminals have been built and put into operation nationwide, including 30 automated container terminals, accounting for 27% of the global total. The fastest single crane operation efficiency at the automated terminals of the Port of Shanghai and Qingdao Port in Shandong exceeds 60 natural containers per hour. The average port stay time for international container vessels at major coastal ports stands at 1.7 days.
