The handling capacity of the Qingdao harbor exceeded 120 million tons by the end of Dec. 20, increasing 20% over that of last year. The city saw an annual increase of 20 million tons and achieved the handling capacity target of the 10th Five-year plan 3 years ahead of schedule.

Vice mayor Zonghe extended congratulations to the port on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and the Government. The port economy , as one of the three feature economic sectors of Qingdao, plays an important role in the city's sustainable development. He hopes that the port make even more contribution to the city's building of a well-off society in an all-round way.

The Qingdao harbor saw some 12,600 ships' entering and exiting this year. The handling capacity enjoyed a monthly increase of 10 million tons. Foreign trade handling capacity increased by 19% to exceed 80 million tons, making Qingdao the second foreign trade harbor in China. Its handling capacity of ore and oil rank first in China. The handling of standard containers increased 29% to hit 3.3 million containers, ranking top 15 in the world.

The Qingdao port has successfully moved to the new location in the west side this year and increased 18 shipping routes linking Qingdao with the rest of the world. The handling capacity for containers in the new port increased 10 times to reach 1.7 million standard containers. The fast development of the port has attracted the attention of some top world enterprises to seek cooperation with the port. According to the development plan of the port, by year 2005, its handling capacity will hit 150 million tons and 7 million standard containers; by the year 2010, its handling capacity will reach 200 million tons and 10 million standard containers.

(TOP86)