Tianjin, Dalian Ports Report Record Cargo Handling

Tianjin port, the largest in north China, handled 41.29 million tons of cargo and 708,000 TEUs in the first seven months this year, a record high that was 4.5 and 30.6 percent more than the same period last year, respectively.

In northeast China, Dalian port also reported an all-time high in cargo it handled during the first half of this year. The port handled 41.07 million tons of goods in the six months, an increase of 16 percent from the same period last year.
Of the total cargo handled by Tianjin port, import and export goods increased by 805,000 tons, or 3.91 percent, compared with a year earlier, while goods for domestic trade rose by 981,000 tons, or 5.18 percent.

Analysts here said that the increase indicated a recovery of China's trade with other parts of the world and of its domestic market.

Statistics provided by the Tianjin port administration show that the goods handled in the seven months included 835,000 tons of refined oil, up 51.5 percent year on year; 2.54 million tons of crude oil, up 33.6 percent; and 1.05 million tons of imported fertilizer, up 24.3 percent. Meanwhile coke and coal handled by the port decreased by a big margin, with imported grain down 14.4 percent from a year earlier.

To expand its handling capacity, Tianjin port invested in the past seven months nearly 300 million yuan (36 million US dollars) in infrastructure construction, and total investment is expected to top 900 million yuan for the year.

According to port officials, a 35,000-ton dock for nonmetal minerals will be put into operation by the end of this year at Tianjin port, while a 50,000-ton coke dock and a 35,000-ton dock and another 50,000-ton coal dock are expected to go into operation next June.