Mega port taking shape on island
11/12/2003 15:15
Engineers and technicians yesterday drove the last pile into the
sea as part of the foundation to support a mega deep water port that is being
constructed on Xiaoyangshan Island, located to the east of
Shanghai.
Altogether 2,819 piles were driven into the seabed to support the
port's 1.6-kilometer-long coastline.
The pile driving was completed 21 days
ahead of schedule, said officials with the Yangshan Tongsheng Port Construction
Co Ltd, which is building the Yangshan Deep Water Port on the island.
"We
plan to finish the construction of the dock by the middle of next year," said
Gui Mo, chairman of the construction company.
Together with the
infrastructure construction, the firm will soon start the bidding for the supply
of cranes, the most important equipment to be installed at the port, and it's
expected to sign a contract for 15 quay cranes to be supplied by the end of the
first quarter of next year, said Gui.
Another contract to supply 48 gantry
cranes will be decided during the first half of next year.
The deep water
port, which will eventually have a capacity of handling more than 22 million
TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of containers every year by 2020, will put
into service its first five berths by the end of 2005.
The five berths will
add an additional 3 million TEUs to Shanghai's current capacity annually and
another four berths to be built in 2006 will add another 3 million
TEUs.
Shanghai is expected to handle about 11 million TEUs this year, which
will make it the world's third largest container port.
As shanghai
International Port Group, the largest local port operator, is expected to run
the first five berths, a selection exercise for operators of the next phase will
begin next year, according to a company source.
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