Lianyungang Port Cargo Throughput Tops 157 Million Tons in First Five Months

From: Lianyungang Daily Updated: 2026-06-07 09:59

At the berths of Lianyungang Port, large cranes swing ceaselessly as iron ore, fertilizers, and other cargo are loaded and unloaded with high efficiency. On May 31, with the final vessel completing its operations, the port’s production data for January through May were officially released: cumulative cargo throughput exceeded 157 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.98%. Production milestones were achieved across multiple fronts, with cargo dispatch, fertilizer handling, and multimodal transport all setting new monthly records, underscoring the port's growing capacity as an international hub.

In May, tugboat services also ramped up to support efficient port operations. Tugboats handled 2,372 vessel movements during the month — up 127 from April and 268 from the same period last year. They assisted 1,150 large vessels, an increase of 71 month-on-month and 75 year-on-year. Meanwhile, 84 Cape-size vessels were assisted in May, reflecting the ongoing trend toward larger commercial ships and the port’s continuously improving service standards.

Lianyungang Port Xinsu Wharf Company achieved a historic production breakthrough. Its May cargo dispatch volume rose 6.67% year-on-year, setting a new monthly record. Rail dispatch, the core business, performed strongly: daily railcar requests stabilized above 1,200 cars in late May. Water-to-water transshipment, a key supplementary transport channel, surged 32.88% year-on-year, becoming the standout growth driver of the month. The company coordinated berths, labor, and machinery across the full chain of unloading, rail loading, and vessel loading. Under the pressure of multiple parallel operations, it dynamically allocated resources and staggered work schedules, successfully resolving conflicts between land and water operations and enabling orderly, balanced production across all three workstreams. Meanwhile, self-pickup truck dispatch grew 23.99% year-on-year, with Hengxintong mineral processing dispatch serving as the primary growth engine, helping drive the monthly total to a new high.

At the same time, Lianyungang Port Oriental Company’s imported fertilizer operations reached new heights. In May, it handled 14 imported fertilizer vessels with a throughput of 365,100 tons — the third monthly record this year. For the first time, five fertilizer vessels berthed simultaneously, breaking the previous record of three.

May, straddling spring and summer, brought frequent high winds and rainfall, creating unfavorable conditions for routine fertilizer handling. Tight vessel schedules and constrained berths, machinery, and yard space posed serious production challenges. “We addressed this through comprehensive planning,” said a representative of Oriental Company, surnamed Zhang. “We scientifically sequenced vessel arrivals and departures, differentiated berth assignments by vessel type, and mobilized all available port resources. We also refined performance metrics, closed the loop on operational efficiency, optimized man-machine ratios, assigned dedicated on-site supervisors, and established a rapid dispatch coordination mechanism. The operation area runs 24-hour shifts with dynamically optimized workflows to break through bottlenecks — achieving ‘start work on arrival, transfer on completion’ — ensuring efficient, safe, and orderly operations.”

Lianyungang Port will continue to optimize production organization and service efficiency, deepen its role in east-west bilateral openness, and contribute greater “Lianyungang strength” to smooth domestic and international dual circulation and the stability of global industrial and supply chains.