Port posts stable growth in cargo throughput in H1

Containers stockpiled at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: nbfb0574]

Ningbo Zhoushan Port, one of the busiest ports in China, achieved impressive results in the first half of this year.

The port handled a total of 679 million metric tons of cargo during the period, a 6 percent uptick compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, it recorded a total of 17.68 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in container throughput, representing a modest growth of 1.2 percent year-on-year, according to Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group.

To meet the demands of export-oriented companies and cater to market needs, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has optimized its route layout through close collaboration with shipping companies. Currently, the port operates a total of 301 container routes, with 249 of them being international and 125 specifically serving countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The port has also expanded its services by establishing sea-rail intermodal connections, offering new transportation options for businesses. At the beginning of the year, the provincial government signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China National Railway Group. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ningbo Zhoushan Port successfully launched sea-rail intermodal services to places including Huangshan and Chongqing. As a result, 808,000 TEUs were transported using this combined sea-rail system, an increase of 7 percent year-on-year.

In a significant achievement, on June 14, Ningbo Zhoushan Port completed its first bonded LNG bunkering business for an international ship. This milestone makes the port the fifth in the world, after Rotterdam, Singapore, Shanghai, and Yantian, to possess the capability to provide international vessels with liquefied natural gas fuel.