Wuhan Port Authority has urged privately-owned terminals to be opened up to outside users. Fourteen out of the 16 planned terminal projects included in the blueprint of Wuhan New Harbour will be built by companies and the city’s port authorities hope that these private owners will open their terminals to common use so as to better utilise the shoreline.

Historically, major Chinese manufacturing companies were allowed to build terminals for their own use. However, Wuhan’s rapid industrialisation over the past decade means that the shoreline available for building common-user terminals has become scarcer.

According to Mr Chen Haihong, director of Wuhan Port Authority’s terminals division, the government is committed to helping companies obtain loans for terminal building projects, but urges that they are operated like common-user terminals. One company, for example, has built a terminal that can accommodate 5,000 dwt vessels, but its own fleet are all 3,000 dwt vessels.

“This is a waste of non-renewable resources such as our shorelines,” he was quoted as saying.

In Jingzhou, another major Yangtze port city in Hubei, the port authorities have ruled out the possibility of approving future privately-owned terminals on the principle that shorelines are non-renewable state assets that require special care.