An inland river port located in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

The container throughput in Huzhou via inland river ports registered a 48.5 percent uptick in January compared to last year, reaching 77,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The growth further solidifies the city's leading position in inland waterway transportation within Zhejiang province.

Breaking down the figures, Huzhou handled 39,000 TEUs for outbound shipments and 38,000 TEUs for inbound shipments.

As of last month, the city's fleet of container ships, which includes multi-purpose vessels, had expanded to 168, with a combined capacity of 93,800 TEUs, representing substantial increases of 44.8 percent and 51 percent year-on-year, respectively.

A pivotal inland river port in Huzhou, Shanggang Port achieved a milestone by recording a monthly container throughput of approximately 22,000 TEUs in January, marking its highest single-month performance in over two years of operation.

Shanggang Port's service scope has now extended to cover approximately 100 kilometers, catering to nearly 600 enterprises. Its role as an extension of the Shanghai Port to surrounding cities has resulted in a remarkable reduction of logistics costs for import and export enterprises in Huzhou, with savings ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent.

Looking ahead, Huzhou has set its sights on becoming a demonstration area for modern inland waterway transportation. To realize this ambition, the city has outlined plans to complete 15 berths for 500-ton-class vessels throughout the year, with a target of achieving a container throughput of 950,000 TEUs.