Final Push on Construction: The West Zone 1 of the Xiaoyangshan North Operating Area is expected to begin operations by the end of the year.

　　Strive for "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan", work hard to open a new chapter. The "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" outline proposes to improve the modern comprehensive transportation system and basically build world-class port and airport clusters. At the intersection of the Yangtze River estuary and Hangzhou Bay in the East China Sea, the container terminal and supporting projects of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area of the Shanghai International Shipping Center Yangshan Deep Water Port Area are being constructed in phases and sections. The West Zone project in the West Zone will be put into operation by the end of this year, and the project is currently in the sprint stage of construction. What is the construction site like, and what are its characteristics?

　　Central Station Reporter Zeng Kan: The westernmost end of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area West Zone is the terminal shoreline project of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area under construction, the future container loading and unloading operation area, and the foundation for the construction of container yards, terminals, and other projects. The entire Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area terminal shoreline is 6100 meters long, with the West Zone terminal shoreline being about 800 meters, which was fully completed by the end of last year. The West Zone layout includes four 20,000-ton berths, and the outermost layer of the terminal is currently being poured.

　　Breakwater builds a solid "sea barrier"

　　In the seawater, there is a dam about 2.3 kilometers long, called a breakwater, which is not commonly seen in port area construction. The average water depth of the Xiaoyangshan sea area exceeds 21 meters, making it a natural deep-water port site, but the sea conditions are extremely complex. The waves are large, and the undercurrents are strong. Sometimes, the seemingly calm sea surface has completely different water flow forces acting on the bow and stern, making it impossible to meet berthing conditions. This breakwater under construction acts like a solid "sea barrier," leaving a 1-kilometer-wide safe water area for the terminal area, making it suitable for berthing conditions. It is an important part of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area and can even be said to be the safety line.

　　"Big barrels" sink into the sea as the foundation, new technology is more environmentally friendly

　　Due to the complex sea conditions, the breakwater cannot use the traditional caisson stone stacking technique for construction. The construction team adopted a new barrel foundation structure installation technique. Each concrete barrel, nearly 40 meters high and weighing over 5000 tons, serves as the foundation structure to piece together this breakwater. Currently, the 107th barrel foundation is being transported and installed, with about 96% of the installation completed. Compared to traditional techniques, it can significantly shorten the construction period, save costs, occupy less seabed area, and is more ecologically friendly.

　　After commissioning, an additional annual throughput capacity of 1.5 million TEUs

　　Currently, the construction of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area West Zone is in the sprint stage. The West Zone has completed land formation, foundation treatment, workboat terminal, and shore connection structure construction. The completion ratio of road yards, terminal engineering, and auxiliary supporting engineering is about 58.4%, with the main terminal construction completed about 76%. It is expected that after being put into operation by the end of this year, it will add an annual throughput capacity of 1.5 million TEUs.

　　Meanwhile, construction in other areas of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area is also proceeding simultaneously, with steady progress in land formation in the West 2 Zone. The container terminal and supporting projects of the Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area are an important part of the Shanghai International Shipping Center Yangshan International Container Hub Port Area, with a land area of 6.307 million square meters. Plans include the construction of seven 70,000-ton and fifteen 20,000-ton berths, along with supporting facilities such as breakwaters and channels. Once completed, the total terminal shoreline will reach 6100 meters, with an annual throughput capacity of 11.6 million TEUs. It is of great significance for enhancing the throughput capacity of ports in the Yangtze River Delta, optimizing the allocation of international shipping resources, and will inject new strong momentum into the high-quality development of China's shipping industry during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period.

　　(Central Station CCTV reporters Wang Yan, Cong Weina, Li Weidai, Zeng Kan, Zhou Li)