The shipping platform

Location: The port of Guangzhou is situated at the intersection of the most important rivers of Dongjiang, Xijiang and Beijiang in S China. All three rivers intersect here as part of the Pearl River Estuary. The strategic location of the port therefore makes it one of China's busiest container ports. The port is located beyond the entrance of the Pearl River serving as a gateway for other harbour areas such as Nansha, Xinsha and Huangpu. General overview: Guangzhou (originally Canton), consists of Downtown, Huangpu, Xinsha and Nansha New Port areas with over 790 berths and accommodation for small cargo vessels and feeders, including Ro-Ro, working the river system and the Chinese coast. There are 6 port operation areas with 58 berths for vessels over 10,000DWT. Hong Kong and Kowloon are served by passenger ferries from the port. The deeper ports of Huangpu, Xinsha and Nansha lower down the river take larger vessels. A substantial dredging programme now allows 100,000DWT vessels through the Nansha channel at any tide and 120,000DWT bulk carriers will be able to access the port at HW. Guangzhou mainly handles the loading and unloading of crude oil, coal, grain, fertiliser, steel, mineral ore, containers (including barging at wharf and anchorage). Imports: Grain, petroleum, fertiliser, ore, steel and general/container cargo. Exports: Rice, grain, bauxite, sugar, pig iron, general cargo. Traffic figures: Approx 12,700 vessels, 410,000,000t of cargo, 12,900,000TEU, and 75,000 passengers handled annually. Load line zone: Summer. Max size: Huangpu Old Port: LOA 190m, beam 45m, draught 9.0m FW, 20,000DWT. Hongsheng Sha Terminal: LOA 225m, draught 9.5m FW, 30,000DWT. Huangpu New Port: Panamax, draught 11.0-11.8m FW. Xinsha: LOA 280m, draught 12.3m FW, beam no restrictions up to Cape size, 150,000DWT. Oil berth max draught 10.0m FW. Nansha Port: Bulk cargo vessels with draught of 13.5m and 4th and 5th generation container vessels, up to 100,000DWT can enter Nansha port in favourable tidal conditions. Xiao Petrochemical Terminal: LOA 265m, beam 46m, draught 13.3m, 120,000DWT.