Kaohsiung port expansion completed ahead of schedule

高雄港擴建工程提前完成

Dutch company Van Oord completed the 250 ha expansion project 8 months ahead of schedule


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Kaohsiung port expansion project carried out by the Dutch company Van Oord has been competed 8 months ahead of schedule, it was reported on Dec. 13.

The project, ordered by Taiwan International Ports Company in 2015, has increased the usable port space by an additional 250 hectares as part of the Intercontinental Container Center Phase II, according to a report from ship-technology.com.

It was the first time the Dutch company was employed as a major contractor in Taiwan. The company used three heavy dredgers to form the added land, which will be developed into several terminals and wharves.

The new container center will be able to accommodate shipping vessels of up to 22,000 TEU cargo carrying space. The 22,000 TEU cargo ships are currently the largest commercial cargo vessels in the world.


A 22,000 TEU container vessel (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The expansion to the port will be very important to the increased trade and traffic that Kaohsiung will experience in the coming years thanks to the Southbound Policy initiative.

A spokesman for the Taiwan International Ports Company said that “Each day, around 150 vessels pass through the port, where more than ten million containers are transhipped each year. The expansion enables future growth and will strengthen the position of the port of Kaohsiung as Taiwan’s maritime gateway.”

The report also mentions that port expansion projects are also underway at six other international ports in Taiwan including; New Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Hualien, Anping, and Suao.

In related news, Kaohsiung port recently made headlines after a top Chinese diplomat in the US threatened Taiwan with military action in the event that a US Navy vessel should ever attempt to dock at the port.