HUTCHISON International Port Holdings (HPH) says its Gaolan deep-water terminal in the Pearl River delta is handling international container traffic ahead of schedule.
The Gaolan port handles containers, bulk cargo, petroleum and coal and has the capacity to service 250,000-tonne vessels. The company said the port, located near numerous industrial centres in Guangzhou, was intended to compliment its port service at Kwai Chung.
Gaolan is being developed in phases, the first of which consisted of two berths able to service 20,000-tonne vessels with a draft of 9.5 metres.
The company said the port eventually would include capacity for 14.5 and 16-metre draft berths and become one of China's principal deepwater ports. An HPH spokesman said that along with its Yantian project and other developments, the group was well placed to add to its existing Kwai Chung facilities to meet the growing needs of shippers in the region.
HPH said a plan to link all regional ports to a Pearl River feeder network was proceeding well.