China’s ore handling capacity to reach 350 mmt by 2010

China’s ore handling capacity to reach 350 mmt by 2010

Ren Jianhua, vice head of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Communications, predicted that the loading and unloading capability of Chinese iron ore docks will be 350 million metric tons by 2010. Ren Jianhua said that during the five years from 2000 to 2005, more than 340 berths for 10’000-metric-ton vessels and one-billion metric tons of general shipping capability were added at China’s coastal ports. This pushed China’s general shipping capability past 2.5 billion metric tons. Although port construction has developed rapidly during the tenth Five-Year Plan, it still lags behind the requirements for economic development. This can be seen in the following two aspects: 1. The general capability of coastal ports is inadequate and large scale dock capability is sorely lacking. At present, only universal berths, which are highly inefficient, can alleviate the inadequate situation. 2. The water depth of incoming sea-routes is not able to meet the requirements of large vessels. The general throughput of China’s coastal ports is projected to exceed 4.5 billion metric tons by 2010. Iron ore alone would account for about 500 million metric tons of the throughput based on domestic production of 250 million metric tons and imports of up to 350 million metric tons. In order to cut the logistics cost of imported iron ore, China’s coastal ports will establish 200’000-metric-ton and larger docks. Currently, nine such docks exist in China. Taking into consideration the layout of China’s metallurgy industry and the condition of coastal ports, China’s future construction of ports will focus on the Bo Hai Gulf, the Yangtze River Delta, the southeast coast, the Pearl River Delta and the southwest coast. Along northern China’s Bo Hai Gulf, 200’000-metric-ton large scale berths for iron ore will be set up at the Dalian, Tangshan and Qingdao. In addition, 200’000-metric-ton berths will be established at Yingkou, Qinghuang Island, Tianjin and Rizhao. Along the Yangtze River Delta, a 200’000-metric-ton transfer base for loading and unloading of iron ore will be set up at Ningbo and Zhoushan Port. A 12.5-meter-deep sea route will be complete by 2010. Large scale iron ore transfer points will set up at Ports such as Shanghai, Suzhou and Nantong to load and unload large scale iron ore vessels. Additionally, docks will be set up at Zhenjiang and Nanjing Ports to load and unload vessels. At Lian Yungang Port, large scale docks will be set up in line with the industrial layout. These docks will support metallurgical enterprises near Longhai Railway. Along the southeast coast, port construction will be carried out according to the requirements of metallurgical industries in the coastal areas of Fujian Province. Along the Pearl River Delta, the transportation system of imported iron ore will be mainly established at Guangzhou Port. Along the southwest coast, the loading and unloading docks of imported iron ore will be mainly set up at Zhanjiang and Fang Cheng Port. The docks will not only provide transfer service to remote locations in the southwest, but they will also create opportunities for large scale iron and steel enterprises in those regions. Currently, the demand for imported iron ore is increasing. According to the New Steel Industry Development Policy, steel mills will be established very close to the docks. SteelOrbis Shanghai