The second phase of Shanghai's Yangshan Deep-Water Port was put into use yesterday, which will allow Shanghai to handle an additional 2.1 million 20-foot cargo containers a year. The port's coastline is extended to 3,000 meters from 1,600 meters, and four deep-water berths have been added after the second phase was set up. By 2010, Yangshan Port will be able to handle 15 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) annually, with its coastline reaching 10 kilometers.
The port, on an island at the mouth of Hangzhou Bay, 27.5 kilometers from the city's Luchaogang area in Nanhui District, will help Shanghai secure its role as an important shipping hub around the world. Featuring an average water depth of 15.5 meters, the port allows Shanghai to attract the world's biggest container ships, even those carrying 8,500 units. Shanghai Port is expected to handle 21 million TEUs this year, three million more than last year, said Chen Xuyuan, president of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co Ltd. Chen said Shanghai Port has grown rapidly and was visited by 2,173 container ships on average from more than 300 ports around the world each month from January to November this year. Chen forecasted that the port will handle 34 million containers by 2010. Shanghai Port handled 443 million tons of cargo last year, more than any other port in the world. Its container volume was third in the world.