Qingdao port started official operation of the Dongjiakou ore terminal on March 9 after receiving approval by the Ministry of Transport, Dazhong Daily reported.

The 300,000-ton ore terminal is now the world's largest and can handle vessels measuring 400,000 tons, which were once barred from Chinese ports. After its official opening, Dongjiakou ore terminal will serve as an international shipping hub linking surrounding regions and countries, with the capacity to handle the world’s largest ore-transporting vessels. In addition, the project will increase the annual cargo-handling capacity of Dongjiakou by 29 million tons.

In the following years, Dongjiakou will be developed into a comprehensive harbor and a dry cargo transportation base in the south of Qingdao, combining logistics, commerce and trade.

By the end of 2012, Dongjiakou had cargo throughput of 100 million tons in its 11 existing berths. The region will build another nine berths in 2013 to increase throughput capacity to 220 million tons. By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), Qingdao will build another 300 million-ton harbor in the Dongjiakou region.

Edited by Michael Thai, Zhang Rui and Li Xiaoliang