[ Shanghai to Build New Box Port ]

Shanghai is to build a new deep-water container port netween two islan
ds 30kilometers offshore. The decision to go ahead with construction o
f the 15meter-draft facility between Dayangshan and Xiaoyangshan islan
ds has been hailed as a major step toward ensuring that the city retai
ns its status as China’s premier shipping location.
The islands at the mouth of the Yangtze River would provide the city w
ith the deep-water access it craves without the need for continual dre
dging of the silt-rich river. It will also ensure that capacity keeps
pace with fast-growing container throughput in the East China area.
The new port will be connected to Shanghai by the world’s longest sus
pension bridge. “It is imperative that the city has such a port as co
ntainer traffic is expected to treble in the next 10 years,” said Li
Gang, information chief at the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.
The exchange has forecast that container throughput in Shnaghai will i
ncrease from four million TEUs this year to 10 million by 2010.