The waiting time for container ships at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has returned to normal levels.

According to the latest data, in September, 1,926 container ships operated at Ningbo-Zhoushan port. As of October 9, the average waiting time for container ships at Ningbo-Zhoushan port has returned to about one day, which is at a normal level. The daily number of operating ships and waiting ships remain dynamically balanced, with some container terminals achieving direct ship berthing. The overall production situation at the port is stable and orderly.

The berthing efficiency of the terminal improved by 5 percentage points compared to the average of the first 8 months.

From January to September, Ningbo-Zhoushan port handled 34.666 million TEUs, an increase of 6.8% year-on-year. At Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Beilun Port Area, cranes work tirelessly, and container trucks shuttle back and forth. Since September, the daily average container handling capacity at the port’s container terminals has increased from 130,000 TEUs to 142,000 TEUs. That month, the port processed 4.27 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 11.5% and a month-on-month increase of 15%, reaching the highest monthly level in history.

Behind the high productivity is a set of precise and efficient production organization mechanisms. Focusing on core issues such as ship congestion and long port waiting times, Ningbo-Zhoushan port organized its container terminals to hold special production mobilization meetings, issued special production sprint targets, guided terminals to fully ensure production resource input, and improved operational efficiency. Each terminal implemented a daily performance tracking system to encourage maximizing operational routes and ensuring capacity utilization.

"We proactively assessed the operating capacity of each terminal and divided the targets into daily and operational pathways," said a relevant person in charge of the scheduling and command center of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. "The production progress of each terminal is displayed daily, and those that fall behind immediately catch up." In September, the operational efficiency of container ships at Ningbo-Zhoushan port improved by 5% compared to the average of the previous 8 months, and the ship turnaround and port departure efficiency were significantly enhanced.

Adjustments for 74 ships completed after 3 typhoons

The typhoon season is a major challenge for port production organization. Ningbo-Zhoushan port proactively strengthened regular communication and consultation with major shipping companies, continuously assessed the subsequent ship arrival trends, and collaboratively optimized port arrival schedules. The port established a port navigation information-sharing mechanism to promptly inform shipping companies about terminal operating capacity, yard load, and ship berthing situations, guiding companies to regulate ship arrival schedules and prevent congestion. It urged shipping companies to strictly control container dumping and overloading, coordinated to accelerate transshipment container turnover efficiency, and reduced storage of transshipment containers at terminals, avoiding prolonged occupation of yard resources.

After Typhoon Bavi (No. 9), Typhoon Dolphin (No. 13), and Typhoon Saudel (No. 18) this year, Ningbo-Zhoushan port completed a total of 74 ship adjustments, including 56 ship repositionings and 18 dual-docking adjustments, while simultaneously optimizing and adjusting three container shipping routes. This enabled coordinated allocation of port resources to balance the workload across the entire port and gradually alleviated berth waiting pressures at the terminals.

Multi-department collaboration reduces non-operational time for vessels to 70 minutes

Ningbo-Zhoushan port actively coordinated with maritime, customs, border inspection, and other port authorities, regularly conducting collaborative operations and implementing a series of measures to streamline customs clearance.

For maritime matters, the routine implementation of the “exemption from embarkation inspection before departure” and “remote secondary inspection” mechanisms for eligible vessels has been established. A full-chain coordination model of “channel-anchorage-berth-operations” was implemented, along with segmental import, forward anchoring, and priority mechanisms for key material vessels. The external anchorage area was managed with zoning and grading, and an innovative “pre-typhoon supply assurance, post-typhoon container guarantee” mechanism was established to improve traffic control precision and timeliness during adverse weather. For border inspections, entry ship examination measures were optimized to improve pre-inspection pass rates, promoting “zero waiting” operations and “zero delay” clearance for international shipping liners. For customs, routine implementation of telecommunication quarantine and application of remote inspection equipment effectively shortened quarantine times.

Through multi-department collaboration and the application of technological means, in September, the non-operational time for container vessels at Ningbo-Zhoushan port was reduced to 70 minutes, cutting 34 minutes compared to the average for the entire last year. Ship turnover fluidity continues to improve.

Moving forward, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port will continue to benchmark against the objectives set by the Ministry of Transport, focusing on the core goals of “reducing port waits, improving efficiency, and ensuring smooth operations.” Efforts will be directed towards strengthening terminal capacity-building, enhancing operational efficiency, and empowering collaborative operations at ports. The goal is to continue reducing vessel waiting times at the port, improving port turnover efficiency, and fully ensuring stable, orderly, and efficient port production and operations.