Control of Xinghua Port Holdings in Changshu of Jiangsu Province was taken over by Zhuhai Port Holdings Group on Sept 16 to expand into the Yangtze River Delta.

The group became the controlling shareholder of Xinghua Port and Yangtze River Port Affairs with the acquisition of Xinghua Port Holdings, which operated the largest Category 1 public port in Changshu.

Through the acquisition, Zhuhai Port Holdings can tap into inland lightering (transport of cargo between large and small vessels), bulk commodity supply chain, and coastal shipping in the Yangtze River. This complements the goal of high-quality development without reliance on cargo throughput growth. 

Xinghua Port [Photo courtesy xinghuaport.com]

Covering 1.36 million sq m (336 acres), Xinghua comprises two neighboring port areas and a coastline of 2,000 m (2,187 yd) on the south bank of the Yangtze River's lower reaches, 54 nautical miles from the estuary. Xinghua has 16 berths and is an important hub for imports of high-value paper pulp, steel products, and engineering equipment.

China imported 27.2 million tons of paper pulp in 2019, a third of it through the Yangtze River Delta. Xianghua Port alone recorded annual throughput of 4.76 million tons. It and Zhuhai Gaolan Port are major pulp import and distribution centers, serving paper-making enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area respectively.

In addition, Zhuhai Port is a significant gateway for the Greater Bay to access the Xijiang River Basin. The group has been growing into a leading shipping enterprise in the Xijiang region since 2010. It controlled three important inland ports on the Xijiang River in Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by the end of 2019.

Currently, Zhuhai Port Holdings Group can transport 650,000 20-ft equivalent units (TEUs) with 25 barge routes on the Xijiang River. To date 43.76 million tons of commodities have been shipped to the Xijiang River Basin via Zhuhai Port.

The company will cooperate in port, shipping, and logistics enterprises in the Yangtze River Basin and develop business in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Greater Bay Area based on the synchronized shipping and logistics network of the Xijiang and Yangtze River basins.