Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority Strives to Achieve 2.35 Million TEU Container Throughput

Revitalized After Operator Integration... 24-Hour System Operation Including Night Work

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority announced on the 4th that it is making every effort to revitalize the Gwangyang Port container terminal and achieve the target cargo volume.

According to Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority (President Cha Minsik, hereinafter referred to as the Authority), the Gwangyang Port container terminal, which had slowed down last year due to adverse factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has regained vitality and is showing a changed appearance this year.

This is because the integration work of SM Shipping Gwangyang Terminal (SMGT) and Gwangyang Port West Container Terminal (GWCT) was completed last November, and the integrated terminal began full-scale operation from last month.

The most noticeable change is the size of the incoming vessels. Large container ships of 10,000 TEU or more, which berth at the Gwangyang Port container terminal to load and unload containers, are frequently seen.

Among the 278 container ships that called at Gwangyang Port in January last year, only 9 were large vessels of 10,000 TEU or more, but in January this year, 21 out of 290 ships were vessels of 10,000 TEU or more.

In particular, on the 2nd and 3rd of this month, two ultra-large container ships of 18,000 TEU and 21,000 TEU berthed simultaneously and conducted loading and unloading operations, attracting the attention of port officials.

Also, with the operation of the integrated operator, Gwangyang Port, which had not conducted night operations until now, has entered a 24-hour operation system for the first time, transforming into a port where the lights never go out.

Nighttime cargo transfer operations for efficient quarantine implementation are underway, and loading, unloading, and cargo movement of containers are also being carried out at night.

The Authority plans to continuously provide additional support such as installing and operating ITT (Inter-Terminal Transfer) gates within the terminal to handle 2.35 million TEU cargo volume without problems despite the reduction of terminals to two due to operator integration, and expanding container inspection, cleaning, and repair facilities.

Furthermore, to find fundamental solutions, the Authority will actively collaborate with terminal operators to improve terminal productivity and attract high-quality companies to the hinterland.

A port authority official said, “Although continuous difficulties are expected this year as well, if everyone puts their heads together to think about how to overcome adversity and cooperates, we can definitely overcome it,” adding, “We will actively support the revitalization of the Gwangyang Port container terminal.”

He continued, “We will make every effort to achieve this year’s container cargo volume target of 2.35 million TEU,” and added, “We will also promote various measures to improve port productivity, such as establishing a fully unmanned automated terminal testbed for Gwangyang Port container terminal phase 3-2 and expanding fixed cargo in the hinterland.”

Meanwhile, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic shock last year and cargo diversion caused by the reorganization of alliances centered on major shipping companies, the cargo volume at Gwangyang Port container terminal decreased by about 9% compared to the previous year. This year, the container cargo volume target has been set at 2.35 million TEU, an 8.8% increase from last year, focusing on crisis response management for cargo decline.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.