Nantong Yangkou Port to Give Preference to Energy and Petrochemical Fields     

The Yangkou Port area in Jiangsu province's Nantong should offer preference to energy and petrochemical business because of its advantages in port, market and resources, according to a report made by the economic and technology research institute under the National Development and Reform Commission on August 8th at a symposium in Beijing on the development of Jiangsu's coastal area and the Yangkou Port.
   The report, named the research of the planning of the Jiangsu Nantong Yangkou Port areas, pointed out that Yangkou should be built into a port focused on the handling of such bulk goods like raw materials, coal, petroleum, liquefied chemical products, with a sideline in container transport. Yangkou Port should mainly serve the development of industrial park at the port area, and in the long term be developed into a shipping hub for large bulk goods covering industries including energy, chemicals and metallurgy. It should also be developed into a major energy and chemical base in the Yangtze River Delta region.
    Large-scale integrated refining and petrochemical complex should be built in the Yangkou Port area, the report said. They should mainly involve petroleum and chemical products logistics, downstream olefin and aromatic projects, organic chemical materials, engineering resins, methanol (C1) chemicals, salt chemicals including chlor-alkali chemicals, coal-based chemicals and the recycling logistics service of chemical products, it said.
   The report is made based on five research reports including the Industry Development Policy and Development Situation in China's Coastal Economic Areas and other seven background documents including the Development Trend of Petrochemical Industry.
   The Yangkou Port area has an ideal development opportunity as part of Jiangsu province's strategic plans to develop the coastal regions and accelerate economic integration in the Yangtze River Delta Region, as well as in the back of large chemical projects being transferred into coastal areas.
   Nearly RMB3 billion has been spent in the development of the Yangkou Port area in the past five years, including a reclaimed land of 10 square kilometers for an industrial park, the construction of the 12.6 kilometers long Huanghai Bridge, and the construction of an artificial island partnering with China National Petroleum Corp as well as other infrastructures. The port has been initially connected by sea traffic as from October 2008.
   Local officials said the 100 000 to 300 000 tonnage level deep water channels, the coastal land for industrial uses, fresh water supply, deep water berths and resources in talent and education lay the foundation for the development of petrochemical, energy and modern logistics planned at the Yangkou Port.