According to the China Shipping News, Zhangjiagang port recorded a total foreign trade volume of nearly 8m tons in the first quarter of 2009, up 6 per cent year-on-year. Of this total, imports amounted to 6.7m tons, up 35 per cent.

This was a particularly strong performance given the overall fall in foreign trade volumes. Cargo throughput on the entire Yangtze trunkline fell by 8.8 per cent in the first quarter to 27.24m tons.

The lower cost of iron ore, chemicals, grain and international shipping in general boosted Zhangjiagang’s import levels. Imported iron ore via the port stood at 1.73m tons in the first three months of the year, up 52 per cent year-on-year. In March alone, imported iron ore hit a record of 962,000 tons, three times more than the previous month. Imported chemicals hit 1.59m tons during the first quarter, up 47.9 per cent.