The river port of Yibin in Sichuan province handled 15,857 TEU in the year up to 19 May, an increase of nearly 200 per cent compared with the same period in 2012.

The port attributed this growth to a better performance in the dry, winter months as a result of its efforts to promote the use of containers for bulk cargo shipments. One wine company said it had lowered costs and reduced its damage rate to zero by switching to container shipping.

In the coming rainy season, the number of sailings will be increased by two per week to a total five or six, according to Huang Xuebing, manager of Yibin Port Company.

Looking ahead, the port will seek more cargo volume from neighbouring regions and speed up the establishment of bonded logistics facilities and build new berths for bulk and oversized cargo.

Yibin, located in southeastern Sichuan at the intersection of the Yangtze, Ming and Jinsha rivers, is the most westerly port on the navigable length of the Yangtze. The first phase of Yibin container terminal was completed in May 2011 after an investment of Rmb1.3bn.