Longer than an aircraft carrier, here comes China’s super-sized cargo ship

China's COSCO Development cargo ship (file photo)

China's COSCO Development cargo ship ushered in the Port of Savanah on May 15, 2017, marking the largest containership to ever dock on the U.S. East Coast. Its length of 366-meter beats the world’s most expensive warship ever built USS Gerald R. Ford. The COSCO Development reportedly can accommodate 13,000 6-meter long containers onboard. The arrival of this giant vessel attracted a large crowd to witness, cheering and taking pictures. Meanwhile, some wondered whether the aged infrastructure at Savannah Port could handle this large ship.

Such worries are not unfounded. The port and channel expansion projects along the U.S. East Coast had been stagnated for a long time, hence, not many large vessels were spotted in the area before. With the infrastructure improvement of the Port of Savannah, the call on of COSCO Development marked a new era for the U.S. to accommodate large ships on its East Coast.

Today, the port plays a great role in trade exchange under globalization, and it can be seen as the front gate to the world for a region or even a country. Committing to building an open economy, China has achieved a lot in port construction. China has seven out of the ten ports listed as the world’s top ten. World-renowned modern ports like the Yangshan Deep-Water Port and the Port of Qingdao, they supports the international trade, also show the world that China continues to strengthen trade cooperation and is working on achieving mutual benefit and win-win in a globalization era.

(This commentary is from the editorial board of the People's Daily)