International Cargo Seaport: Port of Lianyungang

International cargo seaports hold an invaluable role in becoming a primary method for China in modernizing its economy for decades. One of such ports is the Port of Lianyungang, considered to be among the 10 largest ports in China and the 30 largest ports in the world because of the scale of its cargo operations and shipping vessels that pass through the port every day.

About Port of Lianyungang

The Port of Lianyungang lies in the city of its namesake, Lianyungang, a prefecture-level city on the northeast side of Jiangsu province in China. The port itself is located near the mouth of Qiangwei River, about 620 kilometers southeast of Beijing.

Moreover, the port is also located in the northern end of the Yunyan River and has access to numerous locations of salt pans that have been existing in the coastal area of the province since ancient times.

The History

Due to China’s long-standing history as one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the port also has a similarly old history thanks to this fact. Originally founded as Haizhou in 549 AD, the port started its life as a salt production center. Over hundreds of years, the port was a subordinate to numerous Chinese dynasties until its independence in 1726.

The modern history of the port started in 1905 when the port was opened for foreign trade during China’s gradual opening to foreign trade. However, it was during the Japanese occupation of China in 1938-1945 when the port was significantly expanded to ship metal and food materials from China for Japan’s war efforts.

After the war, the Chinese government expanded the port’s operations to ensure its role as one of China’s “open cities” to attract foreign investment to the country.

Volume of Transaction in Port of Lianyungang

In 2020, the total annual TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) throughput of the port increased from 4.780.000 TEU in 2019 to 4.800.000 TEUs. In a time when there was a trend of TEUs decreasing during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the port, on the other hand, managed to gain an increase in TEUs throughput.

In the same year, the port’s sea-rail shipping volume managed to reach 628.000 TEUs, up 63% year on year. While the port remains active as ever, the volume growth of the port slowed down by 7.2% in the first quarter of FY 2021 thanks to the congestion of China-Europe rail freight and stiff competition from other major coastal ports in China.

Interesting Facts

Because of the port’s unique and strategic location, the Port of Lianyungang is the subject of China’s New Eurasian Land Bridge project, a major overland rail link project that connects China’s major coastal ports with Europe via Central Asia and Russia.

Should the project be finished in the near future, the Port of Lianyungang will be the starting point of this overland rail route that spans two continents at once, with the route’s endpoint located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The rail route is projected to be capable of significantly reducing cargo transportation time to and from China, further increasing future trade volume rates.