Maritime transport is the lifeline of global trade in goods. At the 2024 HaiShi Port Cooperation Forum (hereinafter referred to as "HaiShi Forum") held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on 26-28 June, the Ministry of Transport Planning and Research Institute released the "China's Port Operation Analysis Report (2024)", which shows that China's foreign trade and maritime transport volume in 2023 has accounted for 30.1% of the global maritime transport volume, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous year, highlighting the status of China's foreign trade power. 30.1% of the global maritime transport volume in 2023, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous year, highlighting China's position as a major foreign trade country.
Foreign trade seaborne transport volume and quality
--Containers, coal, metal ores, mining materials and petroleum and products are the five major cargo categories in China's coastal ports, of which the proportion of containers is growing year by year.
On the morning of 29th June, the vessel "New Minzhou 106", loaded with photovoltaic products, automobiles, home appliances, textiles and other goods, slowly sailed away from Berth No. 2 of Meishan Port Container Terminal of Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, China, and headed for Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, UAE. The voyage took only 15 days each way, without any port of call, and with sufficient supply of containers and space, the route attracted wide attention in the industry once it was released.
Globally, more than 80% of international trade is realised through maritime transport, and maritime transport is the "artery" of China's foreign trade. China Port Operation Analysis Report (2024) (hereinafter referred to as "the report") shows that in 2023, in the demand for foreign trade rebound, the global trade system reshaping and other factors, China's foreign trade maritime transport scale growth faster, the national coastal port foreign trade throughput reached 4.96 billion tonnes, an increase of 9.6% year-on-year.
Cargo is the blood flowing in the "artery". In terms of cargo types, containers, coal, metal ores, mining materials and petroleum and products are the five main categories of cargo in China's coastal ports. 2023, the throughput of the above goods accounted for 84 per cent of the total throughput of coastal ports. Among them, the throughput of imported coal and imported crude oil is growing rapidly, and the throughput of imported iron ore maintains a high level.
While the scale of rapid growth, the structure of foreign trade and maritime transport is also being optimised.
Structural optimisation is reflected in the continuous improvement of bulk energy and raw material throughput. Driven by the recovery of demand in the domestic petrochemical industry and the rapid growth of crude oil processing volume, China's foreign trade crude oil imports at coastal ports have increased significantly year-on-year. According to the Report, the volume of foreign trade crude oil imported into ports increased by 13 per cent year-on-year in 2023, a record high. In addition, the volume of foreign trade imported ores received and discharged at the country's coastal ports increased by 5 per cent year-on-year in 2023.
Simultaneously improving is the capacity of coastal ports to receive and unload. Yingkou Port, located in the middle of Liaodong Peninsula, has built 56 berths of more than 10,000 tonnes, including 300,000 tonnes of ore berths and 300,000 tonnes of crude oil berths each. Not long ago, Yingkou port port Xianrendao port 3 berths successfully passed the official acceptance, so that the number of berths open to the outside world Yingkou port berths reached 66, to achieve all the completed berths "should be opened as far as possible".
Structural optimisation, also embodied in the container shipping volume accounted for a rise. 2023, China's foreign trade shipping volume in the container shipping volume accounted for 23.3%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared with the previous year, to maintain the trend of year-on-year growth. Yiwu commodities, European Cup around, new energy vehicles ...... Now, in China's major coastal ports, with the port customs clearance services continue to upgrade, the container "out to sea" increasingly convenient.
In Yiwu Port, Zhejiang Province, Yiwu Customs opened a special window for the European Football Championship, the customs clearance process to achieve "a key declaration", more than 99% of the market procurement of export goods to achieve the computer review single "seconds"; Yiwu Railway Station, the layout of the intelligent equipment to achieve the Containers automatically enter the field, do not open the box inspection. In Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Ningbo Customs uses blockchain technology for evidence and traceability to improve the operational efficiency of customs clearance for bulk cargoes, and the efficiency of container shipment of new energy automobiles has been improved from 180 vehicles/day to more than 1,000 vehicles/day.
Stronger port throughput capacity
--There are 23 Chinese coastal ports with cargo throughput of more than 200 million tonnes, and coastal port fairways have achieved "one map coverage" and coastal water safety communication "one network through".
If shipping is China's foreign trade "artery", then the port is an important organ of the artery connection.
In Shandong port Rizhao port, the railway stretches to the west, through the Xinjiang Alashankou into Kazakhstan, through Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany directly to the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the whole process of tens of thousands of kilometres ...... Not long ago, the port of Rizhao was allowed to start the international intermodal transit cargo transport business. This means that from all over the world shipping to the port of Rizhao goods can be transported by rail, through the port of Rizhao directly shipped to Mongolia, Russia, North Korea, Vietnam and Central Asia countries. At present, Rizhao Port has become an important node of the "Belt and Road" New Asia-Europe Continental Bridge Economic Corridor, the world's youngest 500 million tonnes of large ports, cargo throughput in the global coastal ports ranked seventh.
From the Bohai Bay to the Yangtze River Delta, from the Pearl River Delta to the Beibu Gulf, the cargo throughput of China's major coastal ports is growing rapidly, with many of them experiencing an annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent in throughput.
In terms of ports, the Report shows that there are 23 Chinese coastal ports with cargo throughput of more than 200 million tonnes in 2023. Among them, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, with a throughput of 1.32 billion tonnes, tops the list of coastal ports. The cargo throughput of Beibu Gulf Port, Zhenjiang Port, Shanghai Port, Zhanjiang Port and Fuzhou Port will grow at a rate of over 10%. Among them, the rapid growth of cargo throughput in Beibu Gulf Port, Zhenjiang Port, Zhanjiang Port and Fuzhou Port is mainly due to the growth of cargo categories such as coal, metal ores, steel, etc., and the rapid growth of cargo throughput in Shanghai Port is due to the growth of cargo categories such as containers.
Sub-regionally, the pattern of throughput of coastal ports in various regions remained stable. As analysed in the Report, the throughput of coastal ports in the Yangtze River Delta accounted for 40% of the country's coastal ports, topping all regions. Shandong coastal ports, Jinji coastal ports and Pearl River Delta coastal ports ranked in the second echelon, throughput accounted for 15%, 15% and 12% of the national coastal ports, Shandong coastal ports for the third consecutive year more than the Jinji coastal ports, ranked No. 2; Liaoning coastal ports and southeastern coastal ports as the third echelon, the throughput of each accounted for 6% or so of the national coastal ports.
Ten thousand tonnes of giant ships "side parking" is no easy task, the degree of precision is comparable to embroidery. Behind the huge throughput is the ever-increasing capacity of China's coastal ports to safeguard navigation.
Data released by the Ministry of Transport on 26 June shows that from 2013 to 2023, China's coastal navigation markers increased by 68.8% to a total of 20,600, and telemetry telecontrol all Beidou. Nautical chart services have developed from mainly paper charts to full coverage of electronic charts and providing online publishing and real-time update services, and in 2023, the number of electronic charts issued along China's coast reached 4.92 million.
Meanwhile, China has also built a coastal Beidou ground-based augmentation system consisting of 23 Beidou differential stations and 75 Beidou continuously operating reference stations, providing centimetre-level high-precision navigation and positioning services; constructed a water safety communication network as an integral part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), providing maritime distress and safety communication services; and actively pushed forward the construction of 4G/5G and the application of satellite communications, continuously upgrading the satellite broadband data communication capability.
"China has built the world's largest maritime security system, realising 'one map coverage' of coastal harbours and waterways, and 'one network through' of coastal water safety communications." Fu Suyin, vice minister of transport, said.
Towards digitalisation and greening
--This year, the foreign trade cargo throughput of coastal ports is expected to cross the threshold of 5 billion tonnes, and the future will vigorously promote the integration of port, production, city, ship, trade development
Affected by the long-cycle attributes of shipbuilding, port and shipping-related industries have a strong predictability. This year, the global shipbuilding industry is in a strong upward cycle, how to see the next development trend of China's foreign trade and maritime transport?
From the perspective of the development trend of major cargo types, the demand for dry bulk transport is expected to maintain a small growth in 2024. The Report predicts that international dry bulk shipping capacity will be larger than the growth in demand, and that the shipping market will generally favour the development of supply over demand.
For liquid bulk, due to fewer tanker orders in previous years, the Report expects tanker capacity to be in short supply; for liquefied gas, a number of new carriers will enter the market and capacity constraints will be eased.
For containers, the Report expects demand to grow modestly by around 4 per cent in 2024; container capacity supply is likely to grow significantly in 2024 due to a large number of shipbuilding orders in 2021-2022.
On this basis, the Report expects the cargo throughput of China's coastal ports and the scale of foreign trade shipping to continue to grow steadily, and the foreign trade cargo throughput of the country's coastal ports is expected to reach about 5.1 billion tonnes in 2024, with a year-on-year growth rate of about 3.2%.
The digital and green transformation of the shipping industry is pointing to a new direction for China's foreign trade maritime transport development.
Jointly respond to the impact of climate change, and promote the green and low-carbon development of the port and shipping industry ...... During the current session of the HaiSiForum, the world's major port and shipping enterprises, port and shipping regulatory organisations issued a common statement to promote the improvement of trade facilitation, China's foreign trade and maritime transport "green" and "smart" keywords. China's foreign trade and maritime transport "green" and "wisdom" key words more prominent.
At Guandong Terminal of Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port, the vessel "Seaport Zhiyuan" successfully refuelled 504 tonnes of green methanol for the large methanol-powered container ship "Astrid Maersk"; at the same time, the container loading and unloading of the vessel "Astrid Maersk" was completed. At the same time, the container loading and unloading operation of "Astrid Maersk" was also in order. ...... This is the scene in April this year, when Shanghai Port implemented the first green methanol "ship-ship" simultaneous refuelling in China. With the upgrading of Shanghai's international shipping centre, Shanghai Port is expected to become one of the world's first commercial green methanol refuelling points and a regional green methanol fuel refuelling centre.
Foreign trade maritime transport also faces risks and challenges. Industry insiders participating in the HaiSiForum analysed that the global industrial chain supply chain is facing the impact of rising trade protectionism, geopolitical conflicts and other factors, presenting the trend of regionalisation, localisation and near-shoreisation. In addition, overseas ports are experiencing serious congestion due to a large number of ships bypassing the Cape of Good Hope and the concentration of ships arriving at ports, and global container transport prices continue to rise.
In the face of opportunities and challenges, how to ensure China's foreign trade maritime transport "artery" smooth?
For the soaring freight prices, the shortage of empty containers, cabin space tension and other short-term problems, practitioners are actively responding. Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Chairman Tao Chengbo introduction, this year, Ningbo Zhoushan Port by seizing the capacity organisation, release operational efficiency, optimise the port business environment and other measures to achieve the efficiency of the container ship at berth than last year's average level by 8%, and so on the berth time reduced by 1/3. At the same time, increase efforts to attract the empty box back to the flow of new containers to promote the new container put into use, to ensure that the port empty box stock rebounded, the customer has a box available.
Li Qing, vice president of the Water Transportation Science Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, believes that in the long term, it should accelerate the application of artificial intelligence, 5G, big data and other technologies in the field of ports and navigation, build intensive and efficient port hubs, promote the digitalisation, intelligence, and green upgrading of coastal ports, and upgrade the comprehensive capacity of port hubs. "It is necessary to create an open and integrated industrial ecology in the port and navigation industry, realise the opening and sharing of port and navigation factor resources, and promote the integrated development of port, industry, city, ship and trade around the upstream and downstream industrial chain of port and navigation." Li Qing said.
https://www.cnss.com.cn/html/hygc/20240710/354039.html
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