The fourth phase of the Yangshan Deep-water Port will start trial operation next year. Workers are currently testing port equipments, officials said on Monday.

With the fourth phase put to use, Yangshan Port will become the largest and most advanced port in the world.

The new expansion covers 2.23 million square meters of reclaimed land on Kezhushan Island, Dawugui Island and Xiaowugui Island and has a coast line of 2,350 meters. It has two berths for 70,000-ton ships and five berths for 50,000-ton ships.

The fourth phase can handle 4 million TEU containers a year initially and 6.3 million TEUs in the future. It features automated container loading systems, automated management systems and automated container transferring vehicles. There will be very few operators working at the site, officials said.

Because all port equipment is powered by electricity, there will be very low levels of gas emissions and noise pollution compared with diesel-powered port machinery.

Yan Jun, president of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co Ltd, said all the automated systems were designed by their port engineers who will continue to upgrade the equipment.

Source: Shanghai FTZ Government.cn