Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province is expected to deliver 256 million metric tons of cargos via river-ocean combined transportation in 2020. [Photo/WeChat account: china-zjftz]

The volume of cargo that was delivered by river-ocean combined transportation in Zhoushan in 2020 is expected to total 256 million metric tons, local media reported on Jan 6.

This would mean an annual increase of 12.5 percent and a 57 percent increase over 2016.

Zhoushan started transitioning from bulk transportation to container transportation last year and opened the first shipping route in the country that enters Sichuan province from East China's coastal area, a move which helped enhance river-ocean combined transportation in the city.

"The river-ocean combined transportation reduces the time needed by about half compared to the traditional transportation," said a staff member from Zhoushan Good Ocean Grains and Oil Co, which delivered 100,000 tons of cargos via such an approach last year.

Iron ore is an important cargo that enters cities along the Yangtze River from the East China Sea. Last year, a door-to-door logistics platform was established by Zhoushan to allow iron ore to be directly delivered from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port to steel plants along the river.

In 2020, the logistics platform served 50 companies and saw more than 20 million tons of iron ore transported.

To date, more than 240 modern shipping service companies are operating in Zhoushan. These companies have developed ships specially for river-ocean combined transportation, including 13,500-ton dry bulk carriers, 700-twenty-foot equivalent unit carriers, and 1,500-parking space ro-ro ships.

Zhoushan is currently building a fleet of four 14,000-ton bulk cargo ships and eight container carriers, according to a staff member from the Zhoushan shipping and port administration.