The container throughput of Yantian Port exceeded 1.6 million TEUs in August, setting a monthly record since the port began operations 33 years ago.

Export containers performed particularly well, with about 670,000 TEUs handled for export, up 13.9% year on year. Meanwhile, the volume of import and export cargo supervised by Dapeng Customs exceeded 4 million tons, worth more than 190 billion yuan (US$28.33 billion).

Fully occupied berths, dense shipping schedules, and the handling of vessels of 10,000 TEUs or more have become the norm at the port.

On Sept. 9 alone, a total of 23 international ships arrived at or departed from the port; at around 11 p.m. that night, 14 ships were still berthed there.

The terminal strives to speed up the flow of import and export cargo by optimizing ship plans, deploying equipment and manpower accordingly, and improving ship turnaround efficiency.

The Gdansk Express, which berthed on the morning of Sept. 9, departed on Sept. 10, taking a little more than a day to complete the loading of more than 10,000 TEUs at Yantian Port.

While maintaining efficiency, Yantian International is also accelerating its green and low-carbon transformation. Data from the Yantian Maritime Safety Administration show that from January to August this year, Yantian Port's cumulative shore power usage by ships reached 23.3 million kWh, a record high for the same period on record. This helped reduce ships' carbon emissions by 18,039 tons, equivalent to the carbon absorption of about 1 million trees.

Shore power usage in August alone reached 3.3 million kWh, setting a monthly record. More and more ships calling at the port are using shore power, while other low-carbon measures have also been adopted.

For example, Yantian Port handled about 53,000 cubic meters of LNG (liquefied natural gas) bunkering in August, up 80% year on year and setting a monthly record. From January to August, a total of 355,000 cubic meters of LNG was bunkered at Yantian Port, up 4% year on year, also a record high.

Since 2019, the port has won the Best Sustainable Container Terminal Award (formerly known as the Global Best Green Container Terminal) five times over eight years at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards, becoming the only container terminal in the world to have won this honor five times.

According to customs data, in the first eight months of this year, China's total import and export trade was valued at 34.78 trillion yuan (US$5.19 trillion), recording double-digit growth.