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PSA enters joint venture to operate new China container terminal

Athens: Singapore’s PSA International has signed a joint-venture agreement with Beibu Gulf Port Group (BPG) and Pacific International Lines (PIL) to operate a new container terminal in Qinzhou City in China’s Guangxi province.

Operations are expected to commence at the terminal in the final quarter this year.

The terminal will have capacity to handle 3m teu of containers each year, and will be designed to handle the world’s biggest containerships.

The facility will have a 1.5km-long quay and be equipped with super-post-panamax quay cranes with outreach of 23 container rows. The berths will be dredged to a depth of 15.1 metres.

“Guangxi-Beibu Gulf’s strategic location, established transport infrastructure and extensive hinterland offer tremendous potential for our terminal to support the remarkable growth in China’s south-western region,” Tan Chong Meng, PSA’s group CEO, said today. The terminal is the first to be operated by PSA in this region of China.

“I am confident that with the complementary strengths of the three shareholders (BPG, PIL and PSA), and the unwavering support from the Guangxi Government, we will be able to transform our joint-venture terminal into a port of choice for the shipping lines.”

The Chinese government has selected Guangxi as a key trade hub for the ASEAN region in its “One Belt, One Road” action plan, launched on March 28 this year. The location, it says, will be a key connection in the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road.

“We recognise the tremendous potential of the BPCT as a major international container hub port to support the further development of industries and hinterland investments in south-western China,” S.S Teo, managing director for Pacific International Lines, added. “PIL is committed to work with BPG and PSA to create a holistic logistics chain in this region, and make this cooperation a success.”

Holly Birkett

Holly is Splash's Online Editor and correspondent for the UK and Mediterranean. She has been a maritime journalist since 2010, and has written for and edited several trade publications. She is currently studying for membership of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. In 2013, Holly won the Seahorse Club's Social Media Journalist of the Year award. She is currently based in London.
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