Xiamen Port transforms into center of shipping expertise

Maritime facility in Fujian uses innovation and ambition to develop into national logistics hub

Xiamen Port in East China's Fujian province has delivered robust high-quality growth in recent years as it promotes port construction and builds itself into a logistics hub to serve international cooperation.

Xiamen Port has seen a substantial increase in its overall strength and competitiveness in recent years. It has been recognized as one of the first ports to serve as a national logistics hub, and is one of the country's four international shipping centers and four pilot and demonstration ports for cruise transport.

The port's annual container throughput has exceeded 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units for five consecutive years. In 2021, it ranked 13th in the world.

The registered ship capacity of the port has grown from around 2.2 million metric tons in 2016 to more than 4 million tons, at an average annual growth rate of 13.18 percent.

As of the end of June, Xiamen Port was operating 162 container shipping routes. They can reach 146 ports across 53 countries and regions.

By the end of this year, Xiamen Port plans to achieve 12.25 million TEUs in container throughput; 228 million metric tons in cargo throughput; and 870 million yuan ($125.5 million) in fixed asset investment in water transport.

The local cruise industry has also seen a boom in recent years. Renovation work at a supporting berth of the cruise home port has been completed. The port now has the ability to dock a cruise ship at a gross tonnage of 225,000. China Tourism Group and China COSCO Shipping have jointly set up a domestic cruise operation headquarters in Xiamen. China's first independently operated luxury cruise ship, Gulangyu, has Xiamen as its home port.

Meanwhile, the business environment of Xiamen Port has been improved in an all-around way. For three consecutive years, the port has been the top scorer in an evaluation of business environments of China's top 10 ocean container ports, conducted by the China Customs Brokers Association and Re-code research center.

Its single window for international trade was selected as one of the best practice cases of national free trade zones.

Xiamen Port ranks fourth in cross-border trade indicators nationwide and has taken the lead nationally in carrying out reforms to increase efficiency and cut fees. The port has managed to keep the compliance costs of container import and export at the lowest level compared with other major coastal ports in China.

Examination and approval procedures have been shortened in the port. Xiamen Port also has improved the examination and approval system for water transport construction projects and created a one-stop ship certificate jointly issued by the port, maritime and ship inspection teams.

Xiamen Port has made great efforts to promote the construction of infrastructure. By now, the port has 79 berths of 10,000-ton class and 150 kilometers of waterways each capable of handling 10,000-ton-and-above vessels.

In April, the port completed the construction of three container yards for cold and dangerous goods. Covering 25,000 square meters, they can handle 100,000 TEUs.

With such a friendly and convenient business environment, and first-class facilities, the port has attracted many leading companies.

Hong Kong-headquartered SITC International Holdings, China's largest private shipping company, has set up operations in the city of Xiamen. Shanghai-based Zhonggu Shipping has established its second China headquarters in Xiamen. And the world's top 20 shipping companies have all set up branches in the city.

The port also attaches importance to green development with measures to reduce road transportation, which produces relatively high pollution, and increase railway and waterway routes.

In the first half of this year, the highway traffic volume declined 10 percent year-on-year and railway transportation increased 11 percent year-on-year. In the first seven months, shore power projects in the port have delivered a power supply of 470,200 kilowatt-hours, reducing carbon emissions by nearly 370 tons.

An aerial night view of ships at Xiamen Port. CHINA DAILY

Cranes in position to pluck containers off a cargo ship dock at Xiamen Port. CHINA DAILY