Vehicles are lined up at Shanghai South Port Terminal. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

Shanghai South Port Terminal has set a new record, surpassing one million units in annual auto throughput by Nov 24, exceeding its total volume from the previous year.

The milestone follows earlier gains at the terminal, where foreign trade automobile throughput and roll-on and roll-off vessel calls had already exceeded their 2024 totals in September and October.

On Nov 24, the Panamanian-flagged ro-ro vessel Morning Claire was loaded with more than 1,980 vehicles, including models from JAC, Chery, Morris Garages, DFAC, and King Long, destined for Iquique, Chile.

Yangshan Immigration Inspection Station noted that the two additional large foreign trade ro-ro vessels were expected to arrive later the same day to load over 2,200 vehicles for export. A broad range of vehicles, from engineering machinery and buses to new energy automobiles, awaited shipment.

Haitong Lingang, the terminal operator, reported that the volume of foreign trade import and export vehicles handled since the start of the year reached 614,000 units, a more than 40 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Export volume grew by 37 percent, and the number of imported vehicles transiting through the terminal exceeded 100,000 units, marking an 11 percent year-on-year increase.

To support high-volume operations, Haitong Lingang is optimizing resource allocation by deploying personnel from both Shanghai and Taicang ports. Daily operations now average around 3,000 units, with peak days exceeding 5,000 units.

The second phase of the South Port has entered trial operations for foreign trade ro-ro vessels.

Yangshan Immigration Inspection Station provides round-the-clock service, streamlines procedures, and upgrades hardware and software for enhanced monitoring, ensuring smooth vessel operations with no waiting or delays.

Source: Shanghai Observer