China's major ports register year-on-year growth in combined throughput despite COVID-19

China's major ports registered year-on-year growth in combined throughput so far this year despite sporadic resurgences of COVID-19 in parts of the country, Vice Minister of Transport Zhao Chongjun said on Monday.

The combined cargo throughput at China's major ports monitored by competent transport authorities reached 5.56 billion tonnes as of June 24, up 0.9 percent over the same period of last year, Zhao said at a press conference in Beijing.

"At present, the waterways of key ports across China are in smooth and efficient operation with stable and orderly transportation, and their main operation indicators have remained stable in turning for the better. As of June 24, major ports under monitoring in the country have seen a combined cargo throughput of 5.56 billion tonnes including a container throughput of 124 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 0.9 percent and 2.3 percent year on year respectively. The ship locks on the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River [in central China's Hubei Province] and the Changzhou ship locks on the West River [in south China's Guangxi region] have seen 141 million tonnes of cargo passing so far this year, showing an increase of 8 percent year on year," Zhao said.

Zhao also briefed the media on incentive policies and measures taken by the ministry to ensure a stable operation of waterway transportation amid continued impacts of COVID-19 and the recent floods hitting parts of China.

To ensure highly efficient operation of key ports, the ministry now requires that port employees on high-risk posts to live in closed-off areas, aiming to ensure 24-hour operation of ports without interruption.

Zhao said that the ministry has been dynamically monitoring the operation of waterways in China, and has taken steps to improve the efficiency of ship lock operation, including optimization of scheduling.

The ministry has also managed to raise the efficiency of digital logistic services by encouraging the application of electronic documentation, online declaration and waterway ETC (electronic toll collection).

Zhao said that in efforts to implement the central government policy of stabilizing the industrial chain and supply chain, the ministry has urged major international liner companies to increase the number of ships and shipping spaces at China's hub ports like the Shanghai Port, and that in coordination with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) -- China's top economic planner, the ministry has ordered reduction or exemption of relevant fees for shipping companies at ports.

"From January to May, the average loading and unloading time of foreign trade container ships at the major ports of China reached 1.08 days, ranking among the top in the world in efficiency. In the same period, major international liner companies have put into use a total of 9.87 million TEUs on China's key export-oriented ocean-going routes. From this March to May, major liner companies cut or exempted container detention charges incurred to cargo owners at Shanghai Port to the tune of 600 million yuan (about 90 million U.S. dollars), and Shanghai Port Group cut or exempted warehouse usage fees [incurred to liner companies] totaling 300 million yuan," Zhao said.

Source: CCTV

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