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China to Develop Containerized Transport on Inland Rivers
Three tasks have been prioritized by the Chinese Ministry of Communications to further develop containerized transport on Chinese inland rivers, said a senior official at a symposium recently held in Shanghai.
According to the official, first, China will quicken its pace in establishing a comprehensive containerized transport network on its inland rivers, which will be compatible with the international and internal multimodal transport and commodities circulation systems.
To this end, China will accelerate the construction of the containerized transport network along the Yangtze River, with Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing as its major hubs, and another network along the Pearl River linking Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Secondly, China will introduce new port equipment and advanced containerized ships to improve the overall quality of the industry.
Thirdly, China will develop containerized transport information technologies and information systems to specialize, standardize and computerize management.
According to statistics, 55 ports on inland rivers are currently engaged in containerized transport in China. With Shanghai's Longwu port as its center, a containerized transport system has formed, which includes ten-odd shipping companies and links with the major river ports around China.
During the first 9 months this year, 1.92 million TEUs were handled by China's river ports, up 44 percent over the same period last year, and about 2.7 million TEUs are expected to be handled by the end of this year.
With low cost, less pollution and a large freight volume, containerized transport on inland rivers has great potential in China.
Largest Container Producer
A survey recently issued by the international maritime research organization revealed that China has become the world's largest container producer.
The survey said containers made in China have occupied 70 percent of the world market.
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