Shenzhen Port Traffic Sets New Record
Shenzhen port set a new record of one million containers
in August, matching throughput at Hong Kong's Kwai Chung
freight container terminal.
Strong imports and exports contributed to the new record
fo 6.56 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units) in the
first eight months of this year, which was up 40 percent
over 2002. In August, container throughput at Shenzhen
reached 1.05 million TEU, a 15 percent rise over July.
Hong Kong's Kwai Chung terminal were 1.02 million TEU
in July. August figures for Kwai Chung have not yet been
released.
The trend supports the belief that Shenzhen has overtaken
Hong Kong for freight throughput. Shenzhen is supported
by manufacturing in the Pearl River delta, which is the
production base for industry in southern China. Shenzhen's
share of deep-water container movement has increased every
year; in 2000, the port only handled 25 percent of China's
deep-water container movement, but by 2002, it had jumped
to 39 percent and is on track to beat
Kaohsiung in Taiwan as the world's fifth largest port.
Although China is best known for its exports, the government
has also stepped
up imports, since the government is spending heavily
on infrastructure development in the lead-up to the Beijing
2008 Olympics.
According to Zhou Tianlin, Shenzhen Municipal Port Bureau
director, he expects cargo throughput to reach 9.5 million
TEU this year. He expects growth to be between 35 and
40 percent this year. The facility will add six more berths
to be operational by the end of the year to cope with
the increased volume.
The busiest port in Shenzhen is Hutchison Whampoa's operation
in Yantian in eastern Shenzhen. It handled 3.29 million
TEU in the year up to September, up 26.8 percent. China
Merchant's Shekou Container Terminal in Shenzhen reported
the highest growth, jumping 82.7 percent to 924,600 TEU.
CM Ports Service, another China Merchants operation,
handled 546,900 TEU, up 40.3 percent.
Chiwan Container Terminal on the western side of the
city, saw container throughput surge almost 40 percent
year on year to 1 million TEU.
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