The Beijiang Port in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, started operations on July 26, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A port along the Beijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, opened its service in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, on Friday. Two fixed cranes began container and steel handling operations at the port's terminal.

The Beijiang Port, part of strategic layouts within the Guangzhou Port Group, is Guangdong's largest comprehensive inland river port. It has the most terminal berths completed in a single construction phase.

The port began construction in Shaoguan's Baitu township in April 2022. It has eight multi-purpose berths of 2,000-ton capacity and a shoreline length exceeding 600 meters.

"It will provide high-quality waterway logistics services to surrounding industrial parks and enterprises, reducing transportation costs," said Chen Zhiqing, mayor of Shaoguan, during the port's opening ceremony.

Citing the port's strategic location in northern Guangdong, Chen said it would support Shaoguan's economic development and facilitate connectivity in northern Guangdong and the waterway passage to the mouth of the Pearl River.

According to Chen, Shaoguan connects the inland regions to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and is a pivotal city along the Beijiang waterway. It showcases significant advantages in inland waterway transportation.

"With the Beijiang waterway now accessible to thousand-ton vessels reaching Hong Kong and Macao, the port development in Shaoguan is poised to seize a historic opportunity for high-quality growth," he said.

On Friday, Shaoguan Beijiang International Port Co Ltd, the Beijiang Port's operator, signed strategic cooperative agreements with several container, steel and shipping companies to expand its business and shipping lines.

A shuttle shipping line also opened between ports in Shaoguan and Nansha in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, according to the Guangzhou Port Group.

"We will promote high-level coordination between the Beijiang port and the ports within the Greater Bay Area, helping facilitate the construction of a major transportation hub along the Beijiang River and expanding international logistics channels," said Huang Bo, general manager of Guangzhou Port Group.