Tianjin harbor ranks world's sixth in annual throughput

Located at the entrance to the Bohai Bay from the Haihe River, Tianjin Port is one of the world's best artificial harbors.

In 2007, the port had an annual throughput of more than 300 million tons, ranking the sixth among the major ports in the world. It's annual container throughput reached 7.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, making the port one of the world's top 20 container ports.

Tianjin Port is situated at the intersection of the Jingjin (Beijing and Tianjin) city zone and the Bohai Bay economic rim. Among all ports around the Bohai Bay, it is the nearest one to the inland areas including northern and northwestern China.

The international port plays an instrumental role in facilitating foreign trade for northern China. It is also the link connecting Northeast Asia and Central-west Asia, and the eastern starting point of the Eurasia Continental Bridge.

According to sources, Tianjin Port's current water and land area is approximately 200 sq km. The current land area is 60 sq km, which is set to increase to 100 sq km by 2010. The major sea-route at Tianjin Port is 35 km long, 19.5 m deep, and capable of handling 250,000-ton ships easily and 300,000-ton ships at tides.

Tianjin Port also has a strong connection with inland areas, directly reaching 14 inland provinces, cities and autonomous regions, covering 5 million sq km, which accounts for about 52 percent of the total area of the country. Approximately 70 percent of the port's throughput and over 50 percent of its import and export value come from provinces and regions other than Tianjin.

The port has extensive contacts with the world, establishing sister-port relationships with 12 ports including those in Japan, South Korea, the United States and Holland, and having trade with more than 400 ports in more than 180 countries and regions. Tianjin Port is one of the most functional coastal ports in China, in possession of container, iron ore, charcoal, petrochemicals, general cargo, roll-on roll-off, general grain, general chemical fertilizer, international passenger and a variety of other specialized terminals.

According to sources, by 2010, Tianjin Port's cargo throughput will have surpassed 400 million tons, with a container throughput of 12 TEUs, more than 700 container shipments monthly and a 300,000-tonnage dock. It will become a modernized international deepwater port with advanced facilities, comprehensive functions, scientific management, high efficiency, and a harmonious, ecological and livable environment.It will also become a hinge container port connected to Northeast and Central-west Asia, the biggest major general cargo port in northern China, the largest-scaled bonded-port area with the highest degree of openness and the biggest comprehensive port in the area around the Bohai Bay.