Vice Minister of Transport Xu Zuyuan announced on 14 October that the sixth phase of Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao terminal had been officially completed and approved for operation.

Phase Six has two 50,000 dwt ro-ro berths with an annual handling capacity of 730,000 vehicles, and one 100,000 dwt and two 70,000 dwt container berths with a combined annual handling capacity of 2.1m TEU. Two of the container berths upstream of the ro-ro berths are designed especially for Yangtze barges.

Located to the northeast of Shanghai city centre on the Yangtze estuary, Waigaoqiao handles more than half of the city’s container volumes. The majority of Yangtze container barges call at Waigaoqiao, where regular shuttle services complete the short distance via the near sea to carry cargo to Shanghai’s Yangshan bonded terminal. From there, ocean-going vessels transport the cargo to overseas markets.

Only about 10 local barge operators own vessels equipped with new technology that enables them to sail both on the river and the near sea and are therefore licensed to offer direct services between inland Yangtze ports and Yangshan.