Zhuhai Port ranked 57th among global peers with an actual completed annual cargo throughput of 128 million metric tons, according to the 2021 Ranking of Global Ports recently released by the Shanghai International Institute.

Zhuhai Port Holdings completed a total cargo throughput of 142 million tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 2.55 percent. Its container throughput increased by 14.53 percent to 2.36 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) last year, of which 2.04 million TEUs were handled by Zhuhai ports, up 10.95 percent year-on-year.

The company also ranked first among major domestic port management companies in terms of its total assets, operating income, main business income, and net profit in the first half of 2021, as stated in another report released by the China Ports & Harbors Association.

Gaolan Port International Container Terminal [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Zhuhai Daily]

As an important hub and a major coastal port in China's comprehensive logistics transportation network, Zhuhai Port has optimized and implemented four development strategies last year for its overall steady growth. 

Phase II of the Gaolan Port International Container Terminal has commenced operation, increasing Zhuhai Port's foreign trade throughput by 3 million TEUs. Twenty-six barge express routes have opened along the Xijiang River, linking nearly 50 branch ports, while the port's water transport business has been expanded to the Yangtze River.

Five new multimodal transport channels opened last year, increasing the total number of the enterprise's sea-rail intermodal transportation routes to 30 by the end of 2021, dispatching bulk cargo like coke, aluminum ingot, resin, rubber wood, soybeans, and ethylene glycol to destinations including west Guangdong, south Hunan, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Yunnan.

Efforts have also been made in building "smart" and green ports. All portal cranes at Hongwan Wharf have been installed with an intelligent tallying system, while fully electric stacking machines and hybrid reach stackers are now in use at Gaolan Port, cutting the operation costs by over 60 percent and reducing the emissions by 20 percent for each container. 

Next, priority will be given to port shipping logistics and new energy in the future, officials of the company noted. Projects like introducing strategic partners for Gaolan Port's container wharves, the renovation and expansion of Ganghong Wharf, as well as construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Logistics Park will be moved forward to make more contributions to supporting Zhuhai in its efforts to become a modernized and international special economic zone.