Ports of the southern Chinese province of Hainan handled more than 3.3 million containers in 2021, raising the corresponding figure for the cargo turnover by about 10%, the Department of Transport of the region reported.

According to the department, the fastest to develop was the deep-water port Yangpu on the north-west coast of the island, which has accepted 1.3 million containers over 12 months (an increase of 30%). The seaport in the province’s administrative center, Haikou city, set a historic record of 2 million containers (up 1.5%).

“We can launch additional facilities. We are fulfilling our goals for the next three years to form an international transport hub at Yangpu Port,” commented Su Yangzhou, head of the water logistics division of the Hainan Department of Transport. “This will be another favorable factor for a more dynamic development of Hainan Free Trade Port.”

According to Huang Xiaofeng, deputy head of operations at the company which operates the Haikou Container Terminal, Hainan must be proactive in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnamese Bakbo, Chinese Beibuwan) to increase cargo traffic at the current stage.

According to the Chinese government’s plan, Hainan will soon become an important global logistics center, through which trade routes from Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia will pass. In recent years, the provincial authorities have been actively developing the transport infrastructure of the island, building new airport terminals, high-speed highways and modern warehouse areas. Yangpu Deep Sea Port will play a particularly important role in maintaining regional communications, which, with the participation of other local harbors, will become a key link in international maritime transportation. By 2025, Yangpu should be able to handle at least 5 million containers annually, with a cargo turnover of 130 million tons, according to the target.
Source: TASS