Cargo throughput at Zhanjiang port reached 153.8 million tons in the first half of 2017, an increase of 14.6 percent year-on-year. The growth rate ranked second among coastal ports nationwide, according to Zhanjiang Transportation Bureau on Aug 28.

It said cargo transport in foreign trade grew 20.9 percent from a year earlier to stand at 42.55 million tons during the same period. And 1.72 million automobiles have been shipped through the port, an increase of 19.4 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, container throughput surged 34.2 percent during the same period to hit 423,000 containers, contributing to the overall throughput growth of Zhanjiang port.

A container ship is unloaded at Zhanjiang port.[Photo courtesy zjport.com]

The fast growth has brought the port back onto the list of the nation's top 10 biggest ports, a list upon which it used to hold a steady position. The port ranked 10th on the list based on the performance in the first half of the year.

The port handled a passenger volume of 8.31 million from January to June, establishing a niche as the second largest passenger port in the country.

Zhanjiang port has been trying to expand its market and win more clients using the advantage of sea transportation, which is cheaper and faster compared to land. Since the opening of the Zhanjiang-Thailand/Vietnam fruit shipping line in mid-July, Zhanjiang port has now served as a port of call for 33 container marine lines covering domestic ports and regions such as Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Zhanjiang also functions as a major juncture for the connection of southwest China with member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by opening seven special rail-marine container trains in cooperation with the rail department.

Zhanjiang port's container terminal is now one of the busiest in China. [Photo courtesy zjport.com]