A distant view of Rugao Port, located in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, has experienced significant development in its waterway transportation in 2020, local media outlets reported.

Rugao Port's container throughput reached 504,897 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020, a 24.8 percent year-on-year increase. The throughput of containers for foreign trade alone increased by 54.7 percent compared to last year, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The achievements were primarily because the port took the initiative to enhance cooperation with other ports and expand its business, said an insider at Rugao Port Group, a state-owned enterprise that specializes in freight services along the Yangtze River.

The Rugao Central Jiangsu International Container Port and the Rugao Bonded Logistics Center, both run by the Rugao Port Group and with only 1.4 kilometers between them, have greatly streamlined customs procedures to improve effectiveness and lower costs. Tax refund services are also provided as a joint effort to attract large enterprises in sectors like coffee, cotton, grains, and quartz sand.

In addition, a number of routes linking Rugao Port with ports in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Russia have been opened to strengthen cooperation, as well as to meet the trading and business needs of inland companies.