.jpg) |
The centuries-old canal network in the Yangtze River Delta will get a multibillion-yuan injection to allow goods to be moved more efficiently around the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo, reported the South China Morning Post.
Tom Lau Ko-yuen, managing director of port-operator PYI Corp, said the government aimed to use the canals to reduce worsening congestion on roads into the world's two busiest ports by cargo tonnage.
The government planned to spend tens of billions of yuan on the project over 10 to 15 years, Lau said. Part of the plan involved creating eight new feeder ports in the delta.
Last year, cargo tonnage along the Yangtze River, including Shanghai and Ningbo, accounted for 58 per cent of the country's cargo throughput of 6.9 billion tonnes and 36 per cent of the country's foreign trade of US$2.2 trillion, according to PYI.
The Hong Kong-listed port and infrastructure firm forecasts tonnage along the Yangtze River, excluding Shanghai and Ningbo, will rise 9.7 per cent to 1.24 billion tonnes this year.
The delta's maze of canals, which have been compared to those of Venice and the Netherlands in terms of their complexity, is expected to serve a vital role in boosting trade.
At present, the canals are narrow and mostly used to transport low-value cargo such as sand, cement and stones. In partnership with local governments, the Ministry of Transport plans to deepen them to 12.5m and lift their bridges so bigger ships can pass, Lau said. By doing this the ministry hopes to shift more cargo, including containers, from roads serving the ports to waterways.
Using the canals would be at least 25 per cent cheaper, Lau said. "The congestion caused by container trucks into Shanghai is worse than Hong Kong's Kwai Chung port," he said. "It is much more beneficial to move cargo through the water."
To improve transport to Shanghai and Ningbo, the ministry plans to create eight feeder ports in Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Jinghua, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou. These feeder ports will transport cargo to Ningbo and Shanghai through the canals and rivers in the delta.
Cargonews Asia
|
Login
