A Korean vessel carrying 30,211 tons of iron ore arrived at Rugao terminal in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on 21 September. With a draught of 10.86 metres, it is the largest ship to have ever called at the terminal. Prior to the vessel’s arrival, local maritime safety officials visited the terminal operator three times to make sure that all security precautions had been taken and front-line workers were trained to unload cargo from such a large vessel.

The furthest downstream terminal in Nantong, Rugao serves the extensive local chemicals and petrochemicals industries with three dedicated quays and two floating quays accommodating vessels of 50,000 dwt. Three more quays are being built, making a total of four common-user 50,000 dwt berths.