China Infrastructure Group (CIG) has signed a preliminary agreement with Wuhan municipal government to develop the city's first major container port.
Group executive chairman Edward Chow said first phase construction of the transshipment centre on the Yangtze River would involve building two berths to handle 50,000 teus (20-foot equivalent units) of containers yearly.
'The berths, which will start operation in 2000, are expected to reach full capacity in 2004,' he said. Construction of more berths was expected to start in 2003.
Mr Chow said CIG, which specialised in infrastructure projects in China, was using a trigger-point approach to development: building facilities as they were needed.
Initially, the port would have a single-storey warehouse, with development of other facilities to follow.
