Ships operate at Zhoushan port area. [Photo/WeChat account: china-zjftz]

The cargo throughput of the Zhoushan port area in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, reached 51.95 million metric tons in January, a year-on-year increase of 8.21 percent, local media reported.

The figure includes 16 million tons of metal ores, 13.39 million tons of oil and natural gas, and 1.32 million tons of grain, up 12.37 percent, 21.83 percent, and 36.24 percent year-on-year respectively.

The cargo throughput at the Laotangshan port area in Zhoushan experienced a significant increase this year. To date, the port area's cargo throughput grew 24.8 percent year-on-year to 4.22 million tons, including 1.76 million tons of grain.

According to Ji Yuheng, who is in charge of the Laotangshan port area, the port will explore intelligent and unmanned operations this year to further improve cargo handling capacity.

The cargo throughput in the Zhoushan Port Comprehensive Bonded Zone soared 142 percent year-on-year to 503,900 tons as of Feb 14 this year. The bonded zone is expected to handle 1.3 million tons of cargo in the first quarter of this year, a yearly increase of more than 200 percent, said Xu Chi from the Zhoushan Port Comprehensive Bonded Zone Terminal Co Ltd.

A staff member from the Zhoushan shipping and port bureau noted that the bureau will spare no efforts to ensure the timely operation of new terminals so as to assist the Zhoushan port area in achieving its annual target of 620 million tons of cargo throughput.