Port for the world

Last July, Dalian's famed harbor view was engulfed in fire and covered in black oil and smoke.

Two oil pipelines at the port exploded that month, creating an inferno that reached high into the sky. The fire burned for more than 15 hours. The damaged pipes released a huge amount of oil that flowed into the harbor and Yellow Sea beyond.

Cameras worldwide recorded the oil spill in Dalian, inevitably linking the images with those of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dalian authorities realized the extent of the damage and pulled out all the stops to salvage and repair the losses.

Half a year later, the port is moving beyond the disaster and boosting efforts to improve its facilities and loading capacity.

Dayaowan, one of the newly build ports located north of Dalian Port. Provided to China Daily

"It was the first oil spill since the Dayawan port opened in 1976, but the port has recovered from it," says Dong Zhibin, vice-director of the public relations department from the Stated-controlled Dalian Port Corporation.

According to Dong, Dayaowan where the oil pipelines exploded was closed one week after the explosion to clean the oil slick and ship hulls. The port company examined the water quality in the harbor every day until it returned to normal standards.

"The port of Dalian will take on a more important transportation role between China and the rest of the world," Dong had said earlier.

The port of Dalian consists of a few port areas including Daliangang, Xianglujiao, Ganjizi and Dayawan. The Yellow and Bohai seas converge next to the southern end of the Liaodong Peninsula, which together make Dalian a non-freezing deep-water harbor with a wide opening.

Because Dalian is very close to international navigational routes, the port has been presented as the "closest port in northern China to the world".

Dalian port has shipping and trading links with more than 500 ports in 200 countries and regions. About 97 percent of the containers to and from Northeast China load and unload in the port of Dalian - the second-largest container transshipment hub in the mainland.

"Being an important international city in East Asia, Dalian has an important function in its the port," says Xia Deren, Party secretary of the Dalian municipal committee.

In 2010, Dalian port handled at least 300 million tons of cargo throughput, which made it the sixth-largest in China and the eighth worldwide.

The port's capacity for loading and unloading has reached 240 million tons of cargo and 8 million shipping containers with 196 operating berths.

"With the growth of the Chinese economy, port capability will become more important for economic development in China," Dong says.

Most international trips starting from Dalian are linked to Europe, America and Australia, for the transportation of automobiles, grain and minerals.

Dalian port has been divided into different areas for various products such as the container terminals, the crude oil loading terminals, ore terminals and specialized automobile wharf.

"All these specialized terminals are equipped with public infrastructure to make Dalian port a real international shipping center," Dong says.

Because Dalian is far from inland Northeast China, many special trains are arranged from traditional industrial cities such as Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, and Changchun in Jilin province, where automobile makers China FAW Group Corp and BMW Brilliance Automotive are located.

"The special trains and our loading services in ports are related, so logistic services chain from the port to inland can make the exporting process much more convenient and lower the transporting costs for our clients," Dong says.

According to the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), there will be up to 14 cities in Northeast China included in the port-related international logistic system by 2015, and the loading and unloading capability will reach 500 million tons of cargo and 10 million shipping containers in Dalian.

"The improvement of harbor service will enhance the importance of Dalian as an international city, and make transportation in eastern China much convenient," Xia says.