Commercial operations begin at Beijiang Port

A port along the Beijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, started operations in Shaoguan in northern Guangdong province, on Friday, with two fixed cranes commencing container and steel handling services at the terminal.

The Beijiang Port, a key part in the plans of Guangzhou Port Group, is currently the largest comprehensive inland river port in Guangdong with the largest number of terminal berths completed in a single construction phase.

The port, which started construction on the right bank of the golden waterway's main stream in Baitu township in Shaoguan in April 2022, has eight multipurpose berths of 2,000-metric-ton capacity each and a shoreline length exceeding 600 meters.

The port, which is mainly engaged in loading, unloading and storage operations of containers, general cargo, grains and clean bulk cargo, will help increase the annual handling capacity by 1.2 million tons and the container throughput capacity by 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

"It will provide high-quality waterway logistics services to surrounding industrial parks and enterprises, reducing transportation costs," said Chen Zhiqing, mayor of Shaoguan, during the port's opening ceremony.

The port has an independently developed general cargo terminal operating system, which is tailored for both general cargo and container operations.

By leveraging digitalization, the operating system facilitates the integration and coordination of logistics and information chains upstream and downstream of the port, offering customers a convenient port service experience.

Citing the strategic location of the port in northern Guangdong, Chen said it will help enhance the port business capacity in Shaoguan by serving as a crucial support for promoting economic development of the city and facilitating connectivity in northern Guangdong and the waterway passage to the mouth of the Pearl River.

Shaoguan, an important manufacturing base in Guangdong, serves as a key city connecting the inland regions with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It is also a pivotal city along the Beijiang waterway, showcasing significant advantages in inland waterway transportation, according to Chen.

"With the Beijiang waterway now accessible to thousand-ton vessels reaching Hong Kong and Macao, the port development in Shaoguan is poised to seize a historic opportunity for high-quality growth," he said.

The Beijiang Port is one of the three port zones in Shaoguan. In 2023, the phase I project of the Wushi Comprehensive Transportation Hub, another important port in the city, officially commenced operations.

Within a year of operations at the Wushi Port, the total port throughput of Shaoguan doubled, significantly driving the accelerated development of inland waterway transportation in the city, according to Chen.

On Friday, Shaoguan Beijiang International Port Co Ltd, the operator of the Beijiang Port, also signed strategic cooperative agreements with several container, steel and shipping companies, to expand its business and shipping lines.

A shuttle shipping line has also opened between ports in Shaoguan and Nansha in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, according to Guangzhou Port Group.

"We will promote high-level coordination between the Beijiang Port and the ports within the Greater Bay Area, helping facilitate the construction of a major transportation hub along the Beijiang River and expand international logistics channels," said Huang Bo, general manager of Guangzhou Port Group.