Shanghai's pioneering port gets into deep water
As an engineering project, Shanghai's new Yangshan port has already won plaudits. Situated on a group of small islands just off the mainland, the port is reached by a 32km bridge that took only three years to construct and is one of the longest sea-crossing bridges in the world.
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The business case for the port is less assured, however. Three weeks after it officially opened, the deep-water container facility faces tough questions about convenience, cost and future expansion.
Ambition is in no short supply at Yangshan. Shanghai's existing container port is third-largest in the world, behind Singapore and Hong Kong, and with the new facility the city hopes to gain the top slot within a few years.
"Shanghai will become the world's biggest container port," says Chen Xuyuan, president of Shanghai International Port Group, which operates the Yangshan facility.
At the mouth of the Yangtze river delta, which has been the most dynamic area of the Chinese economy in recent years, Shanghai is well-placed to channel the booming exports from manufacturers in the region.
The newly opened first phase of the Yangshan facility has five container berths, while the investors for the four-berth second phase have already been chosen, including Hutchison Whampoa and AP Moeller-Maersk. By 2012, planners hope the port will have 30 berths and be able to handle 15m container units a year, doubling Shanghai's capacity.
The new port has another advantage. Shanghai's existing ports are only about 7m deep because of silt in the Yangtze river, which means many of the ships that use the facilities have to wait until high-tide to dock. The new generation of super container ships - known as post-Panamax, or too wide for the Panama Canal - cannot dock at all.
With water depth of 15m, Yangshan gives Shanghai a chance to develop in the so-called trans-shipment market, where goods are brought from smaller ports in the region and transferred to the new mega-ships to be taken to the US or Europe. Shanghai could start to draw some of this business away from Busan in South Korea and Hong Kong.
Yet for all the buzz surrounding Yangshan's engineering achievements, there is intense criticism of its operations. The port is technically within the Shanghai city limits but it is 85km from downtown. Factories in the western suburbs are several hours' drive away.
Pang Ying, an executive of trading company Shanghai Benliang, says moving to the sea-port will add two days to delivery for goods and Rmb500 ($62, �51, ￡35) per container: "It is not the port company but the businesses that use the service that will foot the extra bill."
Weather may pose problems, given the exposed state of the port at sea. Some analysts reckon winds or fog may close the bridge for more than 30 days a year, cutting efficiency of the planned non-stop operation.
The size of the six-lane highway may also be a limitation. Juyee Technology Development, the company which maintains the bridge and monitors safety, says transportation capacity is 5m container units a year; well below the port's planned capacity. Shipping companies fear long delays if there are accidents on the bridge.
The bridge has no space for a rail-link, although the railway will extend to Luchao, the mainland town where the bridge starts.
Shanghai has regional competition. The city is on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay. On the southern coast is Ningbo, with a natural deep-water port expanding its container facilities.
Ningbo is already more convenient for much industry in Zhejiang province. And the equipment that built the bridge to Yangshan is now in use to construct a bridge across Hangzhou Bay, which will dramatically cut the distance between Ningbo and the Shanghai area when it opens in 2009.
Indeed, the decision to go ahead with Yangshan was taken when Shanghai's influence in Beijing was high during the administration of former President Jiang Zemin.
Some analysts think now Shanghai's influence has waned in central government circles, the project might not have been approved today. The port is expected to cost more than $10bn.
"The region needs a deep-water port if it is to take a bigger role in trans-Pacific and European trade. The big question is whether to use Shanghai or Ningbo," says Bo Frank Nielsen, an executive at Modern Terminals, the port operating company.
上海洋山港的“瓶颈”
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为一个工程项目，上海崭新的洋山港已赢来一片喝彩声。这个港口坐落于距离陆地不远的一群小岛上，通过32公里长的东海大桥与陆地相连。作为全球最长的跨海大桥之一，东海大桥的建设仅用了3年时间。
然而，洋山港的商业理由不那么有把握。正式开港3周后，这个深水集装箱港口正面临着便捷、成本和未来扩张等方面的棘手问题。
洋山港并不缺乏雄心壮志。上海现有的集装箱港口在全球排名第三，仅次于新加坡和香港。随着新港建成，上海希望能在数年内拥有全球最大的集装箱港口。
运营洋山港的上海国际港务集团(Shanghai International Port Group)总裁陈戌源表示：“上海将成为世界上最大的集装箱港口。”
长江三角洲近年来一直是中国经济发展最具活力的地区，而位于长江三角洲入海口的上海，在帮助本地区蓬勃发展的制造业出口方面占尽地利优势。
刚刚开放的洋山港一期工程有5个集装箱泊位，而拥有4个泊位的二期工程的投资者也已选定，包括和记黄埔(Hutchison Whampoa)和马士基集团(AP Moeller-Maersk)。规划者希望，到2012年，该港口将拥有30个泊位，年处理能力达到1500万标准箱，使上海港的吞吐能力增加一倍。
新港口还有另一个优势。由于长江泥沙淤积，上海现有港口水深只有7米左右，这意味着许多船舶只能等到涨潮时才能靠泊。新一代的超级集装箱货轮――即所谓的超巴拿马级(post-Panamax)货轮，这种船舶大得无法通过巴拿马运河(Panama Canal)――根本无法靠泊。
洋山港水深15米，它使上海有机会发展转运市场，即货物在该地区一些较小的港口装船，然后在此转移至新型巨轮上，运往美国或欧洲。上海可从韩国釜山和香港那里争夺一些此类业务。
然而，尽管洋山港的工程成就引来无数溢美之辞，但其运营状况遭到激烈批评。该港口理论上位于上海市范围内，但距离市区有85公里。位于西部郊区的工厂距此有数小时的车程。
上海本良贸易有限公司(Shanghai Benliang)高管Pang Ying表示，搬到洋山港发运需要增加两天运期，每个集装箱将增加500元人民币(合62美元)的费用：“要承担这些额外费用的不是港口公司，而是使用服务的企业。”
鉴于洋山港直对大海，天气可能会造成一些麻烦。一些分析人士认为，大风或大雾天气可能导致东海大桥每年关闭30天以上，降低计划中不间断运营的效率。
6车道高速路的规模也可能是个局限。负责桥梁维护和安全监控的巨一科技发展公司(Juyee Technology Development)表示，大桥运输能力为每年500万集装箱，远远低于港口的规划吞吐能力。航运公司担心，如果桥上发生事故，会引起长时间延误。
此外，尽管铁路线将延伸至大桥在大陆一侧的桥头芦潮港，但东海大桥没有为铁路接驳留出空间。
上海还面临区域竞争。上海位于杭州湾北岸。而南岸就是宁波。作为一个天然深水良港，宁波正在扩建其集装箱码头。
对于浙江省的多数企业而言，宁波是更为便捷的选择。目前，建造东海大桥的设备正用于建设一座横跨杭州湾的桥梁。这座大桥在2009年开通后，将大大缩短宁波至上海地区的距离。
事实上，作出建设洋山港决定的时候，正值前任国家主席江泽民执政期间，上海在中央具有较大的影响力。
一些分析人士认为，现在，上海在中央领导层的影响力已有所减弱，如果换成今日，洋山港项目可能不会得到批准。该港口的建设成本预计超过100亿美元。
港口运营商现代货箱码头有限公司(Modern Terminals)高管李博方(Bo Frank Nielsen)表示：“如果该地区要在跨太平洋贸易和对欧贸易中发挥更大作用，它的确需要有一个深水港。关键问题是，究竟是用上海港还是宁波港。”
