Recently, a critical breakthrough has been made in the upgrade of the berth class at the Zhongzhai Ore Terminal in the Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port. A demonstration meeting jointly organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Ocean Economic Development, Department of Transport, and Development and Reform Commission was held in Beijing. The “Feasibility Study on Upgrading Berth No. 4 at the Zhongzhai Ore Terminal in the Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo Zhoushan Port to a 400,000-ton class” successfully passed expert review, marking a significant breakthrough in the project’s advancement.
It is reported that the current berth is a 300,000-ton class berth, with its hydraulic structures built to a 400,000-ton standard. The review concluded that upgrading it to a 400,000-ton class complies with the requirements of the “Ningbo Zhoushan Port Master Plan (2035)”. Evaluations show that the berth’s navigation and berthing conditions, as well as supporting railway transportation, can meet the safe operational needs of 400,000-ton bulk carriers, fully align with relevant national policies, and possess the conditions for upgrade.
After the successful upgrade, the berth will strongly support the national strategy for the storage, transportation, and supply chain security of bulk commodities, implement the deployment for the construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, effectively adapt to the trend of larger global shipping vessels, fully leverage the unique advantages of Ningbo Zhoushan Port’s sea-rail intermodal transport, significantly reduce the comprehensive logistics costs of imported iron ore, and further enhance the intensive and green utilization level of shoreline resources.
Currently, the Ningbo transport and port authorities have initiated follow-up work. On one hand, they are guiding the project construction unit to deepen the demonstration research; on the other hand, they are actively coordinating with relevant national and provincial departments to seek policy and resource support. Upon full implementation, the project will effectively fill the gap of a 400,000-ton iron ore terminal in the Ningbo port area, injecting strong momentum into the high-quality construction of a first-class strong port and forging the core strength of Ningbo Zhoushan Port.
