BEIJING: A large container ship measuring 366 meters in length is sailing into Yangshan Port, one of the busiest deep-water container ports in the world. Looking over the bow of the mammoth vessel, all the berths on the shore have been filled with huge cargo ships.
Over 850,000 TEUs of containers have been handled by the largest terminal at the port since this January, a record high for the period. During the Spring Festival, the port has continued to function nonstop to ensure a 24/7 operation. From Yangshan Port to Yiwu International Trade City and numerous overseas warehouses, Chinese businesses are ramping up full operations to export goods, ranging from new energy vehicles and mobile phones to home appliances and other daily essentials, despite the Spring Festival holidays.
“We are expected to handle 30,000 TEUs of containers, and all of our 39 cranes have been put into use,” Chen Jianfeng, a manager of Shengdong Wharf, the biggest dock at Yangshan Port in Shanghai, told CMG. “Transfer volume of the wharf has increased by 15 to 20 percent compared to the same period last year,” Chen added. The busy time for the holidays came against the backdrop of rising new export orders at the beginning of the year.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that in January, the new export order index stood at 47.2 percent, up 1.4 percent month on month, indicating an improvement in external market demand.
“This is the 10th consecutive year of us working despite the Spring Festival. This year is much busier,” said Feng Xubin, chairman of YXE Trading Service Group. The company is one of the leading Chinese rail freight operators and offers connections between China and European destinations, including the longest rail freight service in the world between Yiwu and Madrid.
“We plan to launch over 68 freight trains from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the seventh day of the holiday,” Feng said, adding that the volume of high-tech and high-value-added products is increasing. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
