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Full steam ahead for port
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Winton Dong
DESPITE its remarkable growth over the years, Shenzhen Port still has the occasional teething pains. According to Li Chuan with the Shenzhen Municipal Port Authority, insufficient container handling capacity, limited storage area, and incomplete network and transportation systems are the main hurdles.
Shenzhen Port is designed to have an annual handling capacity of 3.2 million TEUs (twentyfoot equivalent unit). However, nearly four million TEUs are handled last year, showing that the port is overloaded and operating under pressure.
To solve these problems, Shenzhen will place heavy emphasis on expanding the port's infrastructure, including its channels, anchor ground and container terminals.
The Pinghu-Nantou railway in the city will be extended west into Chiwan port area in Shekou, thus providing shippers there a convenient transit route.
Meanwhile, the computer networks
between the port and various quay companies will be updated to enhance working efficiency.
Moreover, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are planning to work more closely to build the area into a shipping centre for the Asia-Pacific region.
Shenzhen port handled 3.993 million TEUs in 2000, ranking second in China's mainland coastal ports after Shanghai. Shenzhen Port also witnessed a phenomenal growth rate of over 33.8 per cent.
Insiders said that such a great achievement may well eventually place the city among the world's top 10 container ports.
The growth in throughput is mainly attributed to the booming economy in the Pearl River Delta area and increasing foreign investment which all generate great freight demands.
The city's port development has come, however, with a hefty price tag. In the 20 years between 1980 and 2000, the municipal government earmarked a total of nearly 15 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) for the construction of terminals and their backup facilities.
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