Shanghai's new container port is ready to open, Shanghai set to be world #1

[General Huo]

Yangshan port

[General Huo]

The 32km world longest sea bridge-Donghai Bridge links the port to land

[Nemo]

@GEN. HUO

HOLY SHIT!!!!

Thank you so much for these beautiful pictures!! I hope you have more in the future. Please keep us informed about the awesome developments in Shanghai.

[hkskyline]

Shanghai to become world's busiest cargo port this year: report

SHANGHAI, Nov 8 (AFP) - China's Shanghai could surpasss Singapore this year as the world's top cargo port in terms of throughput, state media reported Tuesday.

Turnover is expected to hit more than 440 million tonnes in Shanghai by year-end compared to 379 million tonnes in 2004 when it was second to Singapore, Xinhua news agency said.

The report, citing Shanghai Port Administration statistics, predicted that such a growth rate would be enough to pip Singapore for the top port honours. Shanghai's throughput in the past 10 months hit 363 million tonnes.

By comparison Singapore will handle 420 million tonnes by year-end after handling 211 million tonnes in the first six months to June, the report said.

In terms of TEUs or Twenty-Feet Equivalent Units, Shanghai saw container turnover of 14.89 million TEUs in the first 10 months, exceeding the 14.55 million TEUs for last year.

Although Shanghai surpassed Rotterdam in TEUs last year, its expected handling of 18 million TEUs in 2005 will not be enough to surpass leaders Hong Kong and Singapore.

[zonie]

Won't the port be losing a lot of efficiency by being 32KM at sea?

[hkskyline]

^ Yes and no. It's quite risky if the bridge is the only way to get to the port. On the other hand, the water may not be deep enough for container ships if the port is too close to shore. Navigation routes around Shanghai are quite busy, so having the port too close to the city isn't a good thing either.

[The Cebuano Exultor]

The way I see the plan phases for the Yangshan port, although it would handle the greatest tonnage and 3rd largest container traffic, it still wont be as ambitiously impressive as the 5 phase Pelepas Container Harbor in Malaysia in terms of massive infrastructure. Don't you think?

[ChinaboyUSA]

I have a question, what will be the direction of the old container port put in use after Yangshan start to use?

[The Cebuano Exultor]

How on earth can all those container trucks easily ply that 32 km. bridge when it only has six lanes? I hope they expand it to ten lanes (5 per direction plus service lanes) for a grand total of 12 lanes. I propose this because if yangshan Port with all the gantry Cranes definitely handles thousands of TEUs a day. Obviously, all or most of those containers should have to be carried by a truck to Shanghai or to other parts of China. But with only a six lane bridge that connects the port to the mainland then it will be overburdened.

[ereck]

[hkskyline]

Players talk pluses and minuses of Yangshan port
18 November 2005
Tradewinds

Liner companies are complaining that shippers will have to pay $60 to $80 more per container to ship goods in or out of the soon-to-be-opened Yangshan Deepwater Port off Shanghai.

One reason for the higher cost is the longer distance to the new facility, which is around 100 kilometers away from Pudong. Shipping executives blame the higher cost to shuttle barge charges between existing port facilities at Waigaoqiao and Yangshan.

The additional expense is significant given that it costs between $2,000 and $2,800 per container to ship cargo from Shanghai to the US West Coast.

On the plus side, lines stand to save on bunker costs because large boxships will be able to moor easily at Yangshan. Shipping companies can save on bunker costs each time they call at Yangshan, depending on the size of the boxship, say industry executives.

At present, fourth-generation containerships have to wait for high tide before they can dock at Waigaoqiao.

The water depth in the Yangtze estuary where Waigaoqiao Port is located is seven metres, whereas the water at Yangshan is at least 15 metres deep. The new deepwater facilities are said to be able to handle boxships with a capacity of 10,000 teu.

A Shanghai-based executive with an Asian liner company said: "We'll be able to save six to seven hours of steerage because we can dock directly at Yangshan instead of waiting for the tide at Waigaoqiao."

Other executives say that the time saved could amount to more than 10 hours per call.

However, all this may not necessarily translate into significant time savings in actual operations when a boxship stops at Yangshan, says the China representative of a liner company.

He said: "At Waigaoqiao, sometimes as many as seven cranes are used in loading and unloading containers so that the ship can leave as quickly as possible.''

The first phase of the port, with five berths, is scheduled to open later this month. Shipping lines are preparing to move their Shanghai-Europe services to Yangshan in this initial stage.

One boxship company official said: "No one wants to be the first to shift to Yangshan. So, it is fair that they are making all the companies move at the same time.''

It is reported that some liner companies are asking for subsidies from the government for their Yangshan operations.

So far, no subsidies have been declared. Instead, the port authorities are raising handling charges at Waigaoqiao to prod shipping lines to shift to Yangshan.

Although some shipping executives say that to reduce cost, liner companies may opt to pass Shanghai to call at other container terminals in the area, such as Ningbo, which has natural deep-water advantages. Others say that they have little choice because of the huge volume of cargo emanating from the Yangtze river basin.

Shanghai sits right at the mouth of the Yangtze and Ningbo is located further south.

One shipping-operations executive said: "To cut cost, the trick is to minimise the cost of handling empty containers.'' He adds that ships carry a significant number of empty containers on their voyages back to China. "Discharging the empty boxes at Yangshan leads to extra costs,'' he said.

It is estimated that by 2012, when Yangshan is fully completed, the port will handle 17 million teu per year, or half of the throughput expected in the Shanghai region.

Existing ports in the Yangtze delta, such as Waigaoqiao, will handle around 18 million teu.

[Azazel]

why is there no rail link?

[The Cebuano Exultor]

Anyway, I've a question, with the proposal there are two versions. One is that there is this really long chunk of reclaimed polders that extend to the sea while there's another wherein it aldo had these polders but has even reclaimed the center part where ships should pass. What do you think is the real proposal. Just curious.

[General Huo]

[612bv3]

Wow, that looks crazy. It so far out in the sea. It's very risky having it so far out especially with only one link to the main land. If that bridge is closed down, it will shut down the port.

[allan_dude]

why didn't they build a rail link, sea port to the mainland? i think i'll be more efficient to have one complementing the road bridge.

[General Huo]

[General Huo]

[General Huo]

[kingchunglo]

South China Morning Post Ltd. Dec 6, 2005

Shanghai's mega-port project officially opens on Saturday and a potential shareholder believes lower land and port charges could offset its extra road transport costs.

Cosco Pacific, one of the potential shareholders of Yanshan Port phase II, said Shanghai Port International would apply to raise charges at the downtown Waigaoqiao complex, without saying how much. But Yanshan's port charges would not change, said Cosco Pacific vice-chairman Sun Jiakang.

The US$12 billion deepwater Yanshan Port is located on reclaimed land on an outlying island connected by 70 km of highways and a bridge, but offers more land supply and hence lower rents than Waigaoqiao.

"Lower land cost and the government's concession policy will help to offset the higher trucking cost," Mr Sun said.

Shipping lines have been told to route all Asia-Europe trade through Yanshan and Shanghai Port International's move to raise charges at Waigaoqiao is seen as a concession to ease their discontent.

Yanshan Port began a trial run last month and there will be no grand opening, according to an industry source. "The Shanghai government wants to make it a low-profile beginning," the source said.

The shareholder structure of phase II is yet to be announced but Hutchison Port, Maersk Sealand, Cosco Pacific and China Shipping are believed to be included.

Shanghai handled 14.6 million teu (20-foot equivalent unit) containers last year and aims to surpass Hong Kong and Singapore as the world's biggest container handler by 2020.