SHANGHAI: The second phase of Yangshan Deep-Water Port, the country's biggest port, opened yesterday, bringing Shanghai one step closer to becoming an international shipping centre.

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 throughput of about 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-kilometre long bridge. Yangshan boasts a depth of 16 metres, double the city's old ports, which is enough to accommodate the world's largest container ships.

The second phase of Yangshan includes four berths on a 1.4 kilometre waterfront. Located to the west of the five-berth phase-I, it extends the port's current waterfront to about 3 kilometres 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 12/11/2006 page3)

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