A vessel from Hong Kong loaded with 400,000 metric tons of iron ore docked at Shulanghu Ore Transfer Port in Zhoushan on Aug 6, according to local media reports. 

This is the 37th 400,000-ton ship to berth at the port to date this year, and the 147th since its opening in 2016.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), 11 berths in China are now capable of accommodating 400,000-ton iron ore ships, three of which are located in Zhoushan Port.

Zhoushan is currently home to 300 berths with a comprehensive design capacity of nearly 500 million tons, including 82 berths above the 10,000-ton level and 11 berths above the 250,000-ton level. 

The Shulanghu Ore Transfer Port, with two 400,000-ton berths, is the largest offshore iron ore transfer center in China.

In the first half of this year, the port received 31 400,000-ton ore carriers, an increase of 24 percent year on year. In May alone, it received 20 ships with a total capacity of 2,851,300 tons.

The city has also witnessed stable growth in its pilot service capacity. 

Zhoushan has provided pilot services for over 10,000 ships per year since 2017. 

Last year, it offered pilot services to 815 300,000-ton ships and 126 400,000-ton ships, representing increases of 28.1 percent and 65.8 percent year-on-year, respectively.