The container vessel, COSCO Shipping Universe, navigates the newly expanded Tiaozhoumen Channel. [Photo/Tide News]

COSCO Shipping Universe, a 200,000-metric-ton container vessel, has navigated the newly expanded Tiaozhoumen Channel to dock at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang province, marking the channel's readiness to accommodate ultra-large ships.

The addition of the Tiaozhoumen Channel enables vessels up to 300,000 tons to access the core port areas of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port via two deep-water routes, alongside the previously expanded Xiazhimen Channel, making the port China's first to feature a dual-channel system for ultra-large vessels.

Lian Sheng, deputy director of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Dispatch Command Center, said that the dual-channel system is expected to increase vessel throughput in the core port areas of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port by over 50 percent, reducing wait times and logistics costs.

The number of large ships at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has steadily increased, with the Xiazhimen Channel, previously the sole main route, handling 48,600 vessel movements in 2022.

Lian explained that the port has four main access routes, and northern routes, including the Jintang Channel and Xihoumen Channel, are subject to bridge restrictions, limiting vessel size to 50,000 and 30,000 deadweight tons, respectively.

In contrast, the southern Tiaozhoumen Channel offers superior natural depth, stable seabed, and favorable hydrology, making it a key maritime gateway to the Yangtze River Delta region for international ocean vessels.

The expansion of the Tiaozhoumen Channel began in November 2023 with an investment of 890 million yuan ($127.36 million). It now allows 300,000-ton oil tankers to navigate when the tide is right and 200,000-ton container ships to navigate at all times.