The container ship APL Santiago docks at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's Yongzhou Container Terminal. [Photo provided by Zhou Qingtong for the official news website of Zhoushan]

The Singapore-flagged container ship APL Santiago docked at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's Yongzhou Container Terminal on Jan 1, becoming the port's first large vessel of the year.

The ship, measuring 328 meters in length and weighing over 117,000 metric tons, stayed for 15 hours to complete the loading and unloading of approximately 2,000 containers.

To ensure safe and efficient docking, Zhoushan municipal administration of maritime safety took proactive measures, establishing a comprehensive risk prevention and service guarantee system. In response to adverse weather conditions, such as cold waves and strong winds at the start of the year, the administration intensified real-time monitoring of meteorological and sea conditions and issued weather alerts to the ship's crew, port, and agents. It also enforced measures, including vessel stability checks and mooring reinforcement, to ensure navigation safety.

Additionally, the administration leveraged digital tools — including a smart maritime platform and drone patrols — to monitor ship movements and weather conditions in and around the port around the clock. This allowed for real-time analysis and timely navigation safety advice, ensuring smooth entry for the vessel.

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's operational strength has been steadily increasing. In 2025, the Yongzhou Container Terminal's container throughput reached 3.88 million twenty-foot equivalent units, a 45.6 percent increase from the previous year, with 4,131 vessel arrivals, a 27 percent rise year-on-year, reflecting the port's growing connectivity and operational vitality.