GUANGDONG has commenced executing a plan for the sea port development that started in 2011 and will run to 2015 during which time it will expand provincial port capacity to 45 million TEU or 1.2 billion tonnes in overall tonnage, Xinhua reports.
According to the plan, capacity of ports in the Pearl River Delta will reach 43 million TEU in container or one billion tonnes in overall tonnage by 2015.
During this period, the province also aims to raise the throughput of Zhuhai port and Dongguan's Humen port to join Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhanjiang as the million-tonne throughput harbours.
Shantou, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Jieyang and Maoming are expected to exceed 50 million tonnes. By 2015, the energy consumption of these ports in cargo handling is expected to fall eight per cent while container berth capacity will increase 10 per cent.
The plan also calls for strengthening Guangzhou Railway Group's cooperation in rail-waterway intermodal projects. Guangdong will speed up construction of railways linking ports, such as Zhuhai's Gaolan port area railway, Guangzhou's Nansha port area railway, the line linking Jiangxi to west Guangdong ports and those connecting west Guangdong ports to central and western China.
Guangdong will also support development of waterway passenger transport between Guangdong and Hong Kong, Macau as well as deepen cooperation with Hainan province in waterway transport.