New Deep-water Port South of Shanghai

Yangshan deep-water port in Hangzhou Bay, China has depths up to 15 metres with 9 of 30 planned berths completed

The Yangshan deep-water port (洋山深水港) is a new port in Hangzhou Bay south of Shanghai. Built to circumvent growth limitations for the Port of Shanghai as a result of shallow waters, it allows berths with depths of up to 15 metres to be built, and is capable of handling the largest container ships today, reports 'Safety4Sea'.

The port achieves this by building on the offshore islands of Greater and Lesser Yangshan (part of the Zhoushan archipelago), which have been amalgamated by land reclamation and connected to the mainland via the Donghai Bridge, the latter of which was opened on 1 December 2005 as the second-longest ocean bridge in the world at 32.5 km in length.

In 2000/2001, the decision was made to commence construction on the first of four phases. The first two phases are currently operational, with nine berths in total along a 3 km quayside.

The first phase, which commenced operations in 2004, accommodates 2.2 million containers annually and includes 10 quay cranes. The second phase was opened in December 2006, and comprises 72 hectares with 15 quay cranes.

When fully completed in 2020, the port will have four phases in operation with 30 berths capable of handling 15 million TEUs annually.
Cost

The total cost of Yangshan port may reach US$ 12 billion over 20 years.