A view of Huzhou Shanggang Port, an inland river port located in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com] 

Huzhou Shanggang Port, an inland river port located in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, has attained notable expansion despite a sluggish growth in domestic exports.

Since the onset of this year, Huzhou Shanggang Port has served nearly 600 enterprises and established partnerships with 24 shipping companies. The port's container throughput has surged to 110,000 TEUs, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 13 percent, as confirmed by Zhao Hongwei, general manager of Huzhou Shanggang International Port Services Co Ltd.

The exceptional performance of the port can be attributed, in part, to the concerted efforts of its operator in addressing the reduction in container inventory.

Elaborating on this, Zhao elucidated, "The dwindling container inventory posed significant challenges for our operations this year. To combat this issue, we intensified negotiations with various shipping firms and Shanghai Port, ensuring a steady supply of containers." At present, Huzhou Shanggang Port dispatches five to six vessels daily, with a storage capacity of around 2,000 TEUs, effectively meeting the container demands of local foreign trade entities.

In addition to ensuring a stable container supply chain, the port's increasing business volume can be credited to its exceptional services. Huzhou Shanggang Port allows for same-day loading and shipping of goods, which are delivered to Shanghai Port the following day. The transportation efficiency is comparable to road and rail services.

Furthermore, Zhao emphasized the cost savings in transportation, noting that a 64-TEU inland container ship is equivalent to 32 container trucks, enabling foreign trade companies to reduce logistics expenses by up to 30 percent.