LAST year, Hainan province's container throughput and throughput tonnage both exceeded the benchmark level of one million TEU and one million tonnes last year, marking a step closer to the province's aim to become regional shipping centre and logistics hub, Xinhua reports.

Hainan's container throughput took over 20 years to grow from less than 10,000 TEU to 585,200 TEU in 2009, but took only two years to jump to 1.22 million TEU last year. This was stimulated by China's policy of developing the south China island into an international tourism spot issued in 2009.

The province's container shipping services have also increased to a new high of 37. Last year, port of Haikou launched feeder lines to southwest China's Fangcheng, Beihai, northern China's Qingdao and Tianjin. Port of Yangpu launches services to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, South East Asia, Australia, US west coast and Middle East.

By 2015, Hainan plans to merge its two major ports, Haikou and Yangpu, into one port cluster. Each of the two is estimated to have a throughput of over 100 million tonnes. The aggregate throughput of all ports in Hainan will double to 227 million tonnes.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News