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On May 15 the Executive Yuan
approved the Port of Taipei as Taiwan’s
fourth offshore shipping center, after Keelung, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. This
will boost the development of the Port of Taipei into a northern Taiwan
operations base for ocean-going container shipping lines, a major harbor for
bulk cargo shipping and warehousing for the northern part of the island as
well as for coastal shipping, and an international logistics center; and
this, of course, will greatly enhance the operating performance of the
harbor.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) points out that,
with the Port of Taipei’s approval as an offshore
shipping center, foreign-flagged vessels will be able to dock there and at
mainland Chinese ports on the same voyage. They will be able to carry import
and export cargo to and from mainland China and third areas without having to
detour via a third-country harbor.
The MOTC also notes that the government began developing the Port of Taipei
container terminal in cooperation with the private sector in 2003 in order to
strengthen the competitiveness of Taiwan’s
harbors. Two of its piers are already operating, and another five are
expected to enter service in 2014. At that time, the port’s annual container throughput is projected to reach
4 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units). As the Port of Taipei will be
positioned as a northern Taiwan container harbor for ocean-going shipping
lines and the nearby Port of Keelung mainly as a distribution and logistics
harbor for near-sea lines, the two ports will be able to complement each
other in bringing development and prosperity to the island’s harbor operations.
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