Taicang Port : - Modern Terminals

PORTS
Taicang Port :
The wing to
Shanghai’s dragon head
Taicang International Gateway (TIG) is one of the ports
lending its support to the hub in the Yangtze River
Delta and Shanghai Maritime Centre. "The Ministry of
Transport of the Central Government calls it the 'One
Port-Two Wings'," explained Sun Song, head of Taicang
Port Development Service Commission. Song pointed
out that Yangshan port in Shanghai forms the head of the
dragon, and forming the wings are Taicang port in the
north and Ningbo port in the south. Taicang port has its
own cargo sources and direct shipping services to markets
in Asia and the US.
"Using the Taicang port means avoiding congestion in
Shanghai and, if the cargo emanates from the Jiangsu
region, cheaper transport connections by highway or by
feeder to Shanghai," said Mark Weaser, Director-Business
Development, Modern Terminals. Taicang International
Gateway (TIG), a subsidiary of Modern Terminals
2 Shippers Today
by Gina Giron-Urquiola
Limited of Hong Kong, is strategically located near
several key manufacturing China hubs, including Suzhou,
Kunshan, Wuxi and the Yangtze River Delta Region.
Taicang's proximity to the manufacturing point of origin
allows shippers to avoid congestion and reduce haulage
costs by reducing inland transit time.
"The local government fully supports the port with the
development of the highway network and excellent
infrastructure, and even an environmentally friendly barge
service," said Song. In March, phase 3 of the dredging
project of the YRD brought the draft of Taicang down to
12.5m, and 11.4m on the north side.
"Taicang port easily accommodates 6,800 TEU ships
which ideally serve the intra-Asia trade," pointed out
Fred Castonguay II, Managing Director of TIG. "There's
Shanghai and Yangshan to serve the mega-vessels, the
• Situated at the coastal area of Jiangsu
Province and next to Shanghai with
strong cargo base
• Home gateway of Suzhou City
• Closest International Gateway to Suzhou
– Wuxi – Changzhou (South Jiangsu
"Golden Triangle')
• Connected with comprehensive
highways netwotk
– Nanjing-Shanghai Highway
– Suzhou-Kunshan-Taicang Highway
– Yanjiang Highway
– Sutong Bridge

mother ships. From Taicang, if there is a need for the
cargo to reach Shanghai, then we have feeders or the road
network."
In April, The Containership Company (TCC), a
Norwegian container shipping company founded in
2009, nominated Taicang in Jiangsu, China, and TraPac
Container Terminal in Los Angeles. USA to provide
terminal services for their new "Great Dragon" service,
which entered the transpacific trade on April 17.
"Taicang International Gateway, and Jiangsu Government,
together with TraPac and the Port of Los Angeles will
provide TCC world class terminal operations on both
sides of the Pacific," said Sean Kelly, CEO of Modern
Terminals.
TCC's inaugural Great Dragon sailing departed from
Taicang International Gateway on April 17 with a
scheduled arrival in Los Angeles on May 3rd. The Great
Dragon service is expected to generate 250,000 TEUs
annually between Los Angeles and Taicang. This is the
first transpacific sailing from Taicang.
PORTS
‘One Port-Two Wings’,” explained Sun Song, head
of Taicang Port Development Service Commission,
in describing the ports of Shanghai, Taichang and
Ningbo.
Taicang, which is located at southeast of Jiangsu
Province, bordering the Yangtze River on the east and
connecting Shanghai on the south, covers a land area of
823sq km. Taicang administrates Jiangsu Taicang Port
Economic Development Zone (composed of Port Zone
and New Zone) and 7 towns.
Taicang has a unique natural harbor at Yangtze River
Estuary. Its 38.8 km stretch of Yangtze River Coastline
allows Taicang to build up to 100 deepwater berths for
vessels over 10,000 tons. The deep water area of Yangtze
River Shipping Tunnel enables vessels of 50,000 tons to
call at Taicang port. The costal line is suitable to build
berths for the 4th and 5th generation container ships.
"The Taicang port offers sustainable value to carriers, with
a clear price advantage," said Castonguay. "Operating
costs are lower than Shanghai. Taicang port also generates
potentially 50% inland savings over Shanghai from
reducing transportation costs."
Taicang Port Development Zone has the advantage of
strategic location, east to the Yangtze River, south to
Shippers Today
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PORTS
Shanghai, and west to Suzhou, Wuxi and Changshu
areas. Taicang Port is about 24 and 42 nautical miles to
Shanghai's Wusong Mouth and the Yangtze River estuary.
It is about 50km to Shanghai city, Hongqiao International
Airport, Pudong New Area and Suzhou Industrial Park
and 70 km to Pudong Airport.
Taicang has a convenient transportation network: there
are Shanghai-Nanjing highway, Shanghai-Jiading
Highway, State Coastal Highway, Suzhou-Kunshan-
Taicang Highway, 204 State Highway, 312 State Highway,
Shanghai-Taicang Highway, Wuxi-Taicang Highway,
Shanghai-Nanjing Railway and the Planned Coastal
Railway; three regional rivers pass through Taicang Port,
joining Yangtze River and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand
Cannel, forming a convenient inland river grid.
"Taicang Port has constructed 32 berths, and opened up to
64 domestic & International shipping lines, specializing in
near-ocean foreign trade container transportation. In 2007,
the handling capacity of Taicang port exceeded 1 million
TEU, while its throughput exceeded 30 million tons," said
Castonguay.
Taicang Port Bonded Logistics Center and Joint
Inspection & Service Building are 1 km to the container
berths. The Bonded Logistics Center has all necessary
functions. One-stop services of the Joint Inspection &
Service Building provide enterprises with fast customs
clearance services.
TIG is the first port to be fully equipped with electrical
RTG yard cranes, running off the electrical power grid
and thus reducing carbon emissions by eliminating the use
of diesel.
Modern Terminals manage and operate Taicang port
phases 1 and 2, with a 70% shareholding and 30% for the
Suzhou Government. Phase 1 consists of two container
berths and two breakbulk berths, a draft of -12.5m and
930m quay length. There is a 129 hectares yard area with
12,000sqm of warehousing space. Phase 1 is equipped
with 4 QC and 10 RTG, and has a capacity of 600,000
TEU.
Phase 2 has four container berths, 1,100m quay length
with the same -12.5m draft, 141 hectares of yard space
and 13 QC plus 39 RTG, with a total capacity of over 3
million TEU.
Phase 3, meanwhile, will be operational at the end of this
4 Shippers Today
year and has a design capacity of 2 million TEU. There
are no foreign investors as of yet in Phase 3 and Modern
Terminals indicated that it is in negotiations with the
Suzhou Government.
"With the migration of light industrial manufacturing
out of Shanghai with the land becoming more expensive
and more congested, there was migration to Taicang
which is within 50 to 100 km radius of the manufacturing
region in south Jiangsu," said Weaser. "Taicang is close
to the source of cargo and this translates into savings on
operations as well as trucking costs.
(From left) Sun Song, head of Taicang Port Development Service
Commission; Mark Weaser, Director-Business Dev, Modern Terminals;
Fred Castonguay II, MD, TIG; Jessica Qi, Communications Mgr, TIG.
"We saw the development of the Taicang port as a
natural evolution in line with the region's development.
Taicang port offers direct services to markets in the US
and intra-Asia."
Weaser said the decision to invest in Taicang included
offering customers better services outside of Shanghai
where congestion and high costs were driving industry
out; Taicang has the full support of the Suzhou
government in developing the port and the supporting
infrastructure; Modern Terminals can offer its customers
an additional choice that is closer to the source and outlets
of manufacturing.
"We listen to everyone in the supply chain," said
Weaser. "To the shipping lines and to the people that
own the goods. We see in Taicang a capacity to develop
continuously in coming years to accommodate the rapid
growth and expansion in the region."