Taicang Port emerges as key gateway for China's booming auto exports

Taicang Port. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

Taicang Port is playing an increasingly important role in China's fast-growing automobile exports, with about 280,000 vehicles shipped overseas through the port in the first quarter of this year, up more than 90 percent year-on-year.

During the same period, China exported 2.23 million vehicles, a 56.7 percent increase from a year earlier. That means at least one out of every eight vehicles exported from China departed from Taicang Port.

Taicang Port. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

The port has become the largest automobile export hub in Jiangsu province and along the Yangtze River, serving manufacturers from Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing and other major manufacturing regions. Vehicles exported through the port in the first quarter reached 140 countries and regions worldwide.

Central to this operation is the Haitong (Taicang) Automobile Ro-Ro Terminal, the largest and most specialized automobile roll-on/roll-off terminal for automobiles along the Yangtze River.

Yang Tianyu, a vessel operation coordinator at the terminal, said demand for new energy vehicles continues to rise sharply in the European market, while emerging markets in Africa and South America are also seeing rapid growth. As a result, export volumes at the terminal have continued to climb, with peak daily handling capacity exceeding 5,000 vehicles and an average of eight to 10 ro-ro vessel departures each week.

Rows of vehicles wait at Taicang Port before being loaded onto vessels bound for overseas markets. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

In the first quarter alone, exports of new energy vehicles through Taicang exceeded 160,000 units, nearly tripling year-on-year. Exports to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative surpassed 130,000 vehicles, more than doubling from the same period last year. Both figures reached record highs for the period.

Beyond shipping, Taicang Port also provides automakers with integrated logistics services covering warehousing and distribution, helping improve the efficiency of China's expanding automotive export supply chain.