A view of Shanghai Yangshan Deep Water Port Photo: Yang Hui/GT

The handling capacity of Shanghai's Yangshan automated piers are expected to exceed 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), or standard containers a year, revealed data released by the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of Yangshan Port. 

On Thursday, Yangshan automation pier phase IV operations celebrated its three-year anniversary of operation, reflecting on an exceptional record of safety and efficiency. 

From January to November 2020, a total of 1,838 international and 4,834 domestic container ships safely entered and exited the Yangshan port, a year-on-year increase of 28.9 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively. 

At the beginning of 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of shipping processed at Yangshan port dropped sharply. In February, only 120 international container ships entered and exited the port, a decrease of 21 percent, while 336 domestic container ships entered the port, a decrease of 16 percent.

With the China's economy's recovery in May 2020, shipment processed by the port has kept rising and the port's handling capacity further expanded. From June to August, five bridge cranes and 20 track cranes were added to ensure higher shipments could be processed.

Over the past three years, the Yangshan Port MSA ensured more than 4,600 international container ships and 12,500 domestic container ships to safely dock and depart the port with a total handling capacity reaching 9 million TEUs.