QINGDAO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province has handled 100.18 million tons of cargo so far this year, according to the latest data provided by the Qingdao Port Group.

　　If the port maintains a similar rate, its throughput for the whole year is l ikely to exceed 200 million tons, group sources forecast.

　　A major port perching on China's eastern coast line, Qingdao is ranked the world leader in ore handling capacity and the domestic leader in crude oil imports.

　　The port's cargo handling capacity now averages 6.66 tons per second, more than double the 2001 amount.

　　The group sources said since the beginning of this year, the port has completed nearly 500 technological innovation projects, contributing a lot to the fast growth of its handling capacity and impressive throughput registered for the first half of the year. Enditem