At 15:35 on December 27, World Navigator, a Singapore-registered vessel, loaded with 36,050 tons of methanol, docked at the Oiltanking Terminal #9 in Jiangbei New Area. This marks the arrival of the first foreign vessel since the terminal received the approval for international trade on December 19 by Jiangsu Provincial People's Government.

The vessel has a deadweight tonnage of 50,000 tons and a length of 183 meters. The terminal has been the first international trade port opened in Nanjing since 2019. The opening is expected to generate an annual foreign trade cargo value of about 250 million dollars for Oiltanking and bring 320-odd million yuan in foreign trade tariffs and VAT to Nanjing.

Oiltanking operates a 30,000-ton terminal (#8) and two 50,000-ton terminals (#7 and #9). It has launched a railway loading and unloading line with an annual turnover capacity of 500,000 tons, as well as 37 liquid chemical storage tanks with a total capacity of 277,000 cubic meters and public facilities. Additionally, multiple pipelines have been set to connect with enterprises in the industrial parks, developing a comprehensive operation model that integrates highways, railways, waterways and pipelines.

As a China-Germany joint venture, Oiltanking Nanjing has experienced rapid growth over the years. In 2023, the terminal's throughput reached 2.4 million tons, with an annual growth rate of 18.3%. The proportion of foreign trade throughput reached 70%, making it the largest public liquid chemical terminal in Jiangbei New Area regarding throughput.

“Before Terminal #9 was approved for foreign trade, our existing terminals were operating at full capacity and could only accommodate domestic trade vessels with a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 tons. This could not meet the demands of our current business and the surrounding companies engaging in the new materials sector. The need for foreign trade access was urgent,” said Yang Yong, general manager of Oiltanking Nanjing.

To address the company's development needs, Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Commerce (Office of Nanjing Port) took the lead in organizing multiple special meetings to promote the opening of terminals and bolster the approval process. It worked with maritime, customs and border inspection agencies to provide on-site guidance and oversight regarding the company's qualifications, system establishment and infrastructure construction, and coordinated efforts to facilitate and accelerate the terminal's opening.

“With the opening of Terminal #9, large foreign vessels with a capacity of 50,000 tons can now dock directly, which will boost import and export business,” said Yang Yong. The terminal's opening not only expands its functionality and promotes business growth for the company, but also improves operational efficiency. Additionally, there are numerous benefits in terms of enhancing safety and environmental protection.

For instance, World Navigator docked is carrying 36,050 tons of cargo, with an unloading rate of 1,000 to 1,500 tons per hour. Before the terminal opened, we could only accommodate domestic trade vessels with a capacity of 4,000 tons, and the unloading rate was only 150 to 200 tons per hour. The improvement in work efficiency is tremendous.

An official from Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Commerce (Office of Nanjing Port) stated that the opening is another important step in enhancing the port's openness, improving the efficiency of port resource utilization and assisting enterprises in expanding into international markets. Moving forward, efforts will be made to implement actions that promote the facilitation of cross-border trade, support port-channel development and contribute to the high-standard growth of Nanjing's export-oriented economy.