Guangzhou begins work on $2 billion fifth development phase at Nansha port
Work has begun on the $2 billion fifth development phase of Nansha port, the main international container gateway for Guangzhou in southern China, as part of a move to increase Nansha’s capacity to 35 million TEUs by around 2030. Main construction started Friday and includes the development of four berths capable of handling ships of more than 21,000 TEUs, plus 15 berths for regional feeder vessels, China’s Transport Ministry said Monday. The extension, with a combined berth length of 2.4 miles, will boost capacity at Nansha by 6.7 million TEUs.
Guangzhou Port Group is also developing the $1 billion Nansha International General Terminal that will add an additional 500,000 TEUs of capacity and berths for breakbulk, project cargo and vehicle shipments. Port group Chairman Huang Bo said the fifth development phase plus general terminal and other expansion work will add 11 million TEUs of operating capacity to Nansha port, located about 40 miles south of Guangzhou city.
The work comes as Guangzhou is seeing an increase in container volumes as growth there largely keeps pace with rival Shenzhen about 60 miles south, while both ports are continuing to lure volumes away from Hong Kong. Guangzhou saw throughput climb 8% to over 27 million TEUs last year, of which more than 22 million TEUs were handled at Nansha, according to the Guangzhou Port Group. The growth has continued this year, with a 4% increase in Guangzhou’s total throughput in the first four months of this year, to 9 million TEUs. Container volumes at Shenzhen rose 5% last year to 35 million TEUs, with growth in the first four months climbing 8% to 8.5 million TEUs. Volumes at Hong Kong have continued to decline, falling 5% to 13.7 million TEUs last year and sliding a further 7% to 4.2 million TEUs this year through April.
Original article posted on https://www.joc.com/article/guangzhou-begins-work-on-2-billion-fifth-development-phase-at-nansha-port-6222684