China's Tianjin Port sees robust growth of cargo throughput

TIANJIN -- Tianjin Port in North China's Tianjin Municipality saw its cargo throughput rise 4.3 percent year-on-year to 336 million metric tons in the first three quarters of 2020, according to Tianjin Port (Group) Co Ltd.

Its container throughput topped 13.76 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the period, up 5.2 percent year-on-year.

The port has witnessed robust growth despite the COVID-19 epidemic, thanks to the intelligentization of its operating process, including the use of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, intelligent robots and quaternion cranes that can be remotely operated, according to the company.

Chu Bin, the company's chairman of the board, said that the application of intelligent devices and systems have significantly increased the mooring efficiency of the port, especially that of its foreign trade routes which rank among the world's top.

"At present, the average time that cargo ships spend in Tianjin Port has been shortened by nearly 1.1 hours, which has greatly reduced the cost of freighters," Chu said.

High-quality service is another reason for the growth. In order to provide better service, the company set up 134 service teams this year and has visited more than 2,100 customers, Chu noted.

Tianjin Port is an important shipping hub in north China, whose container throughput is expected to exceed 30 million TEUs in 2028.