Chongqing - On December 27, after nearly three years of construction, the main structure of the Wanzhou Xintian Port Phase II project was completed. The project is in its final stage and will officially open next year.

Wanzhou Xintian Port is a key multimodal hub in Chongqing's Yangtze River plan and the first in the Three Gorges area. Xintian Port Phase II serves as a model for collaborative development in the Sichuan-Chongqing regions of Wanzhou, Dazhou, and Kaizhou.

Xintian Port Phase II project focuses on bulk cargo transportation and complements the port functions. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)

Sichuan Dazhou Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd., the largest logistics consumer in Dazhou, holds a 30% stake in Xintian Port Phase II. The remaining shares are held by enterprises from Sichuan and Chongqing.

Once completed, the project will shift from "using the port for export" to "building a port for export," facilitating smoother exports of local products like footwear and electronics and easier raw material procurement for Dazhou.

"Once Phase II of Xintian Port is completed, it will meet our five million-ton transport demand, saving an estimated 30 to 50 million yuan in logistics costs annually," said Liu Hailin, Director of the Fangda Dazhou Iron and Steel Logistics Center. 

Liu said that the phase upgrades port handling capacity, enabling timely procurement and storage of iron ore, reducing costs during peak periods like dam maintenance, the Spring Festival, and rising global iron ore prices. Enhanced capacity helps lower channel costs.

"Based on our preliminary research, Xintian Port Phase II will be able to handle iron ore from Australia and Africa in the future, with eventual connections to Sichuan Dazhou Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. through river-sea-rail transport," said Zhou Xue, EPC Project Manager of Xintian Port Phase II Project.

Zhou Xue, EPC Project Manager for the Xintian Port Phase II Project, gave an interview to Bridging News on December 27. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)

Xintian Port expands global trade via Zhoushan collaboration

A few kilometers upstream from the ongoing Phase II of Xintian Port, Phase I features towering rail-mounted container cranes with rows of stacked containers in the yard.

Xintian Port Phase I, with five berths, began operations in December 2020 and handles 6.25 million tons annually. A display board clearly shows the port's economic hinterland, highlighting key cargo types like grain, fertilizer, cement clinker, and coal, serving regions including Sichuan, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia.

Xintian Port Phase I, with five berths, began operations in December 2020 and handles 6.25 million tons annually. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)

In June, grain from Ningbo Zhoushan Port arrived at Xintian Port via river-sea transport. Once at the port, the bulk cargo was transferred into containers and shipped by rail to Chengdu. In May, a 10,000-ton vessel from Zhoushan Port docked at Xintian Port, marking the launch of the Yangtze River’s first direct river-sea route, "Zhoushan to Chongqing."

Yang Kang, manager at Chengdu Chuangyuan International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., said that the river-sea route between Xintian and Zhoushan saves one-third of the transportation time compared to traditional water transport and cuts costs by over 50% compared to road transport.

"The construction and operation of Xintian Port has significantly impacted neighboring provinces and cities," said Tao Ye, Deputy General Manager of Chongqing Chuanyu Three Gorges Port Logistics Co., Ltd. 

Xintian Port now supports multimodal transport, extending its reach to Shaanxi, Gansu, and surrounding regions like Eastern Sichuan, Western Hubei, and Western Hunan. It has also signed cooperation agreements with over 30 port, shipping, and logistics companies, creating a strong, collaborative network along the Yangtze River.

Through collaboration with Zhoushan and other Yangtze River ports, Xintian Port has established stable operations for transporting bulk goods like coal from Shaanxi and fertilizers from Sichuan. This enables the transport of more goods from Western China to global markets.