The YM Portland gets ready for a voyage in Taicang port, Jiangsu province, Nov 27. The giant cargo ship is 286 meters long and 32 meters wide. [Photo/WeChat account:tcfbgw]

Taicang port in Jiangsu province handled the loading of 2,636 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) onto the YM Portland, which broke the port's record for the largest cargo ship, Nov 27.

The Panamanian ship, which can carry 4,444 TEUs, also became the heaviest vessel to travel on the Yangtze River shipping line.

The loading of 2,636 TEUs took less than 15 hours, all thanks to the port's advanced container terminal which was expanded in June 2019.

The 1,292-meter-long terminal boasts 50,000-ton berths and supporting facilities in an area of 1.2 million square meters, with an annual throughput capacity of 2 million containers.

The terminal features automatic tracking, energy conservation and environmental protection, with dust screens and green plants arranged along surrounding roads and a wind-powered electricity generation system.

Taicang port now houses 10 30,000 ton to 50,000 ton container berths and two 20,000 ton multifunctional berths with a designed handling capacity of 4.35 million containers.

The maximum handling capacity is expected to reach 6 million containers by 2020, according to local authorities.