Zhuhai Port ranks 77th among the World's Top 100 Container Ports in 2020, four steps higher than in 2019, according to Lloyd's List, which was published on Aug 28.

Despite increasing uncertainties about the global economy, container throughput at Zhuhai Port reached 2.56 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2019, placing 9th worldwide with growth of 10.65 percent year-on-year. By contrast, the growth rate of global container throughput tallied 2.5 percent year-on-year, compared to 4.8 percent in 2018 and 6 percent in 2017.

As a key factor, Zhuhai Port Holdings Group increased investment and strengthened cooperation with partners. Construction of the 4-billion-yuan ($584-million), second phase of the Gaolan Port Container Terminal is mostly completed. Some new berths are in trial operation as the deep-water shoreline has been lengthened to 4,000 m (4,374 yd). The group also purchased four quay cranes and 12 gantry cranes at a cost of 260 million yuan ($38 million), increasing capacity to 3.78 million TEUs.

Gaolan Port International Container Terminal [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Guanhai App]

Notably, the world's first unmanned container gantry crane artificial intelligence (AI) tally system was put into use Aug 28 at Zhuhai International Container Terminals (Hongwan). With functions including automatic data acquisition and matching, whole-process monitoring, and real-time comparison of loading/unloading information, the AI system is to improve the efficiency, safety, and work environment at the port.

Meanwhile, the enterprise has added multiple shipping routes based on deepened cooperation with Shanghai PanAsia Shipping and Zhonggu Shipping Group. Transport capability increased by 100,000 tons to more than 140,000 tons in 2019 with the expansion of self-owned fleets.

The group recorded total container throughput of 2.68 million TEUs in 2019, up 13.1 percent year-on-year. Containers that transit Zhuhai Port en route to the Xijiang River basin numbered 607,000 TEUs in 2019, a yearly increase of 7.8 percent.

In addition, Zhuhai Port Holdings Group has been diversifying its industrial layout with the acquisition of Xinghua Port in Changshu City of Jiangsu Province and controlling shares of Dezhou-based Tongyu Heavy Industry.

Next, Zhuhai Port will continue to become an international hub relying on advantages such as its being on the Xijiang River estuary, proximity to Hong Kong and Macao, direct access to railways, and accelerated construction of key projects such as Gaolan Port Container Terminal Phase III.

Affiliated with Britain Informa Plc, Lloyd's List is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious journals of the global shipping industry. It not only provides the latest news, trends, and analyses of freight and logistics, supervision, technical development, and environmental and investment issues, but also releases the annual World's Top 100 Container Ports list.