According to Shanghai Securities News, on October 15, Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government held a press conference themed “Promoting High-Quality Development” as part of the 2024 North Bund International Shipping Forum series. The conference introduced the overall arrangements for this year’s forum and the construction progress of the international shipping center.
In 2024, China has made significant progress in the high-quality development of its maritime transport. As of September this year, China’s total maritime fleet size has reached 430 million deadweight tons, accounting for 18.7% of the world’s fleet, maintaining a leading global position.
It is reported that this year, China’s maritime infrastructure network has been further improved. China is focusing on optimizing and smoothing the major water transport corridors, with the orderly advancement of main channel capacity expansion and upgrading. A series of channel improvement projects in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River have been completed, the Jianghuai Canal has achieved full navigation, and the Pinglu Canal project has cumulatively invested over 40 billion yuan, with a construction investment ratio exceeding 50%.
China is also working to enhance the capacity supply of key regions and key cargo terminals. Major construction projects, such as the Shanghai Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area Container Terminal, are progressing smoothly, and a batch of terminal renovation and expansion projects are accelerating.
Additionally, cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement are steadily advancing. China is deepening the adjustment of its transportation structure, vigorously promoting the transportation of bulk goods, and continuing the rapid development of rail-water intermodal transport. From January to August this year, the national port container rail-water intermodal volume reached 7.78 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 17.7%.
Finally, China continues to enhance the quality of waterway passenger services, with various regions launching premium domestic waterway tourism routes. Since September last year, international cruise shipping has fully resumed, transporting a total of 950,000 cruise passengers over the past year, further stimulating new consumer vitality.
