Chinese Port Upgrades Deep Channel

A channel at China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is being deepened to allow 300,000-ton ships, Xinhua reported. The government is investing in dredging the Xiazhimen channel to 73.8 ft. below the possible lowest tide height, and the channel should be put into use in June next year. The project was launched after the number of vessels over 150,000 tons navigating the channel surged from 80 in 2003 to more than 360 last year. With the deep channel, vessels of more than 150,000 tons could enter the port directly and would no longer need to unload cargo or wait for the tide, reducing transportation costs and the risk of accidents. Source: Xinhua