Yantian Port to Invest 3.788 Billion Yuan in River-Sea Intermodal Hub in Zhangjiagang

Chinese port operator Shenzhen Yantian Port Co., Ltd. (Yantian Port) reported that its board of directors approved, at a meeting held on October 10, an investment of approximately 3.788 billion yuan to build a river-sea intermodal transport hub in the metallurgical industrial development area of Zhangjiagang Port, in Suzhou. The investment will be channeled through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shenzhang Port (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., and the company disclosed the announcement on October 13.

The project, defined as a modern river-sea intermodal transport hub that will integrate port loading and unloading, logistics and warehousing, trade services, and multimodal transport, contemplates in its first phase the construction of four berths: one for 200,000-tonne vessels, one for 50,000-tonne vessels, and two for 10,000-tonne vessels, with a total shoreline of 952 meters and an annual handling capacity of 40 million tonnes. According to preliminary planning, the project had already begun hydrological survey work by late 2023, and is considered a key port project for the city of Zhangjiagang.

Total investment amounts to 3,788.40 million yuan, of which 40%, equivalent to 1,515.36 million yuan, will correspond to equity capital to be contributed through capital increases by shareholders to Shenzhang Port (Jiangsu), a company established in March 2024 that is currently only handling preliminary approval and construction procedures. The remaining funds will be sought through bank loans and other financing channels. The proposal still must be submitted for approval by Yantian Port's shareholders' meeting, and the transaction does not constitute a related-party transaction nor a significant asset restructuring.

Yantian Port described the investment as a key step in its strategy along the Yangtze River, which seeks to shift from a logic of investing in individual port nodes to controlling complete logistics corridors, and from operating isolated ports to an integrated ecosystem approach across the entire river basin. The company stated that, since the 13th Five-Year Plan period, it has developed investments along the Yangtze that include the Huangshi New Port, Changde Port, and the second phase of Jinshi Port projects, and that the Zhangjiagang project represents its latest move within that strategy.