Plans are in train for Hongqiao town in Taixing city – administered by Taizhou, in East China's Jiangsu province – to push hard to establish an industrial cluster that integrates ports, logistics, platforms and industry, in order to expand its port economy.
Boasting a 15.8-kilometer stretch of the Yangtze River, the town is an important part of Taixing's opening-up. It currently possesses 10 efficient vessel berths with a combined length of 1,652 meters.
In recent years, it's seen a raft of ports and terminal enterprises settle there – including CRCC Harbour & Channel Engineering Bureau Group (Taixing) Co Ltd, Jiangsu Minsheng Port Co Ltd and Taixing Hongqiao Warehousing Co Ltd.
A large cargo ship docks at a berth in Hongqiao town. [Photo/WeChat account: txfabu]
This year, Jiangsu Minsheng Port Co Ltd invested over 40 million yuan ($5.66 million) in first-class loading and unloading equipment. "In the past, a 50,000-metric ton vessel needed to be handled for about 48 hours, but now it just takes 24 hours," said company assistant general manager Li Zhaoyu.
Elsewhere at the Qiwei public terminal – co-built by the town and CRCC Harbour & Channel Engineering Bureau Group (Taixing) Co Ltd – temporary rights were obtained in February to allow imports and exports to have direct international transportation.
Within two to three years, throughput of the terminal is projected to hit 35 million tons, said company general manager Cheng Shouchang.