A ship at the Shulanghu ore transfer terminal in Zhoushan. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

The throughput of bulk commodities at Zhoushan Port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, surged in the first quarter of this year, local media reported on April 6.

The cargo throughput of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Zhoushan Port Co Ltd was a record 31.3 million metric tons during the period, a year-on-year increase of 14 percent.

The company's grain throughput surged 55 percent year-on-year to 3.88 million tons while its crude oil throughput jumped 20 percent year-on-year to 19.02 million tons.

The port company's double-digit increase in cargo throughput was mainly attributed to market expansion and improved efficiency due to the addition of a new route to Hubei province and two portal cranes, and the expansion of its business portfolio to include paper pulp, steel structure, fluorite and other cargos.

The iron ore throughput of the Shulanghu ore transfer terminal at Zhoushan Port also registered a record 19 million tons in the first three months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 13 percent.

The unloading amount of the ore transfer terminal reached a record 10 million tons during the period, up 15 percent year-on-year.

In addition, the transfer terminal received 48 international ships from January to March, including 14 400,000-ton ships.

At the end of March, the Shulanghu terminal started using intelligent production management system and robots to improve production efficiency.