The Northeast Asia Empty Container Dispatching and Transportation Center of Shanghai Port was unveiled in the new area near the port of Shanghai Free Trade Zone. At a time when the global container turnover was stagnating and almost "one container was hard to find", the Shanghai Port was highly expected by all circles. Maersk, Delta, Mediterranean and other world-renowned shipping companies hope that it can improve the efficiency of container dispatching and help optimize the route network. The domestic shipping industry expects that the dispatching center can help Shanghai Port firmly hold the key to global resource allocation and improve the energy level of the hub port.
More than a year has passed. On September 3, the Northeast Asia Empty Container Dispatching Center of Shanghai Port officially opened in Yangshan Port Area. In the past year, based on the principle of "building one batch and putting one batch into use", most of the transfer yards have provided services for many shipping companies. Can the fully completed dispatching center respond to people's expectations? The answer is ready.
Attract more hub routes
From January to August this year, the number of empty containers imported by Shanghai Port increased by 8.7% year on year, the number of containers transferred in water increased by 8.2% year on year, and the number of containers transferred by sea and rail increased by 38.8% year on year... A group of data shows that since the Northeast Asia Empty Container Dispatching Center was put into operation in batches, the capacity of empty container storage, service, and transportation in Shanghai Port has been significantly improved, and the situation of "one box is hard to find" has been basically alleviated, and the business of "public to water" and "public to rail" has also achieved rapid growth, It has driven the internal circulation linkage and high-speed turnover of ports in the Yangtze River Delta.
This is only the most direct and predictable effect that the dispatching center has brought to Shanghai Port. The more far-reaching impact is that the international top shipping companies are seriously considering putting more hub routes in Shanghai Port.
Zhu Jing, the managing director of Mediterranean Shipping Greater China, believes that there are three major factors in determining the allocation capacity of port empty container resources: storage capacity, allocation efficiency and maintenance quality. "The three must be closely combined, and none of them is dispensable. The empty container dispatching center of Shanghai Port well meets these three points." Ludovic Renou, CEO of China delta shipping (China) Co., Ltd., said that in the past few years, international shipping has become extremely complex due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and China Delta had to adjust its route network to restore operational efficiency. The empty container dispatching center of Shanghai port can help China delta to promote its business in Northeast Asia. Both enterprises have expressed that they will further deepen their cooperation with Shanghai Port Group.
Chen Wei, assistant general manager of the production business department of Shanghai Port Group, told the reporter that there are many big ports throughout Northeast Asia. According to the original pattern, "big ships" carrying a large number of containers will go to ports in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. However, Shanghai Port, which has the best geographical location advantage in Northeast Asia, will naturally let its "big ships" sail to Shanghai Port first, and then change hands with "small ships" from Shanghai Port to other ports as required once more advantages in software and hardware are added.
"In this way, shipping companies can save a lot of costs and allocate resources more efficiently." Chen Wei said, "Shanghai Port is expected to become their 'home port'."
Superimposition of policy advantages in special conservation areas
The Northeast Asia Empty Container Dispatching and Transportation Center has a storage yard with an area of 450000 square meters, a plane container space of about 12000 TEUs, and an annual throughput capacity of 3 million TEUs; It can provide the shipping company with supporting services such as box repair, washing, inspection and delivery; It can also use the digital and intelligent management mode to efficiently deploy the empty container resources of ports in the Yangtze River Delta.
The software and hardware advantages that attract shipping companies are not limited to this. At the opening ceremony of the Dispatching Center, Zhao Yihuai, deputy director of the Administrative Committee of the new port area, said that the Administrative Committee would give full play to the "double special" effect of the new area superimposed on the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone, launch the public service platform for Yangshan bonded ships simultaneously, and create a new trade demonstration zone, a new hub for global shipping, and a carrier for innovative business types.
The public service platform for the supply of bonded ships is a "one-stop" service platform for ship spare parts and accessories, which can match the supply and demand relationship through digital means. The shipping company puts forward demand through the platform, and the special protection zone coordinates the supply side to match the demand. At the same time, the service scope of spare parts and accessories is expanded in the process to gradually expand the market.
This is a functional platform based on the unique policy advantages of the special protection zone. Over the past two years since the opening of the special protection zone, "unique" advantageous functions have been successively implemented, constantly increasing the attraction of Shanghai Port to shipping companies. For example, the pilot project of coastal piggyback business of foreign trade containers landed in Yangshan Port is in the forefront even in developed countries; The first domestic bonded lng bunkering business for international navigation ships makes Yangshan Port the third port in the world that can provide such services. Ludovic renou said that under the international background of "carbon neutrality", the development of this function has made Yangshan more attractive to shipping companies.