Port of Taipei will greatly benefit the city
Taiwan is a country that has experienced remarkable growth over the last several centuries since it broke away from the mainland politically and began operating as an independent country. The national capital, Taipei, has been at the centre of this growth, developing the country’s first mass transit system and spearheading economic development throughout the country.
This growth has not stopped with the financial crisis and its ensuing recession, the major development projects around the country and within Taipei continue, backed by the government and major operators in the private sector. The two biggest of these projects in Taipei currently are the expansion plans Keelung Harbour and the construction of the Port of Taipei.
In a city like Taipei with a population of 2.6 million people and a metropolitan population of over 6 million needs an advanced public transport system in order to facilitate the daily movement of millions of people to and from their jobs and in the execution of their daily tasks and errands. The Taipei Metro is used for this and it is one of the most advanced mass transit systems of its kind in the world.
The population of the city then is its human capital and human resources, but the resources that translate easiest into financial earnings and tax revenue for the local economy and government are physical resources, such as the goods manufactured in the factories and the food grown in the country’s agricultural belt.
In a city like Taipei, a considerable amount of goods are also imported, such as electronic goods, machinery equipment, construction materials, petroleum and other commodities, primarily by ship from Japan, China and the United States.
As Taiwan’s economy has grown, so too has the amount of goods being imported and exported. Keelung Harbour, Taipei’s current primary port, has seen cargo handling volumes increase significantly in recent years.
In 2007 the port handled over 97 million Gross Registered Tons of cargo and saw over 8,600 ships calling at the port throughout the year. In 2008, this fell to 95 million GRT of cargo and 8,000 ships, but this was largely a result of the financial crash and during 2010 statistics from the Keelung Harbour Bureau show a steady increase in shipping volumes. In January of 2010, 584 vessels called at the port, bringing in and taking out over 7.4 million GRT of cargo.
By August, this rate had risen impressively to 9.6 million GRT and 667 vessels. The capacity of the port will soon be exceeded, and already there are regular backlogs of ships waiting to enter the port, which costs the economy money. Major expansion projects are therefore in the works for Keelung, according to Taipei news reports. Through 2001 to 2009 the main entry channel was deepened with dredging and the turning basin was widened to allow larger ships entry to the port.
The Eastern Jetty will be extended to accommodate more ships and the port’s entire transport system will be improved, more access roads will be built for the transport of cargo from ship to storage to transit hubs within and outside the port. Yet, these expansion plans are not enough o meet the long-term needs of the city and the ever-increasing export and import demand is creating traffic chaos on the main artery roads feeding the city due to the large number of trucks carrying goods to and from the port, which is over thirty kilometres from the city.
Therefore, the Keelung Harbour Authority is working with the government and various private investors on the development of an auxiliary port in Taipei itself. The planning and development of the Port of Taipei began in 1993 and the first stage of the project, the building of two large quays and the reclamation of 84 hectares of tidal land, was completed in 1996.
Since 1996 Phase 2 has been ongoing with the first and second stages of a three stage fifteen-year program now complete. Phase 2 has seen 26 new quays built and a water area of 289 hectares established, the port had a cargo handling capacity of over 20 million revenue tons in 2010, according to the Keelung Harbour Bureau and Taipei news reports have slated completion for 2010.
The port is envisioned as a direct-access port for Taipei, reducing the pressure on the road network, but also providing a second overspill port for Keelung, while also accommodating those vessels that Keelung cannot, such as huge Panamax vessels that require specialised port infrastructure.
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Port of Taipei will greatly benefit the city
With the economic growth and development of Taiwan and its capital Taipei have come vast infrastructure challenges, not least of which is the ever-increasing demand for goods and services, which must be imported, requiring larger ports and in greater numbers.
Taiwan is a country that has experienced remarkable growth over the last several centuries since it broke away from the mainland politically and began operating as an independent country. The national capital, Taipei, has been at the centre of this growth, developing the country’s first mass transit system and spearheading economic development throughout the country. Read more
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