To fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important directives on building a transportation powerhouse, carry out the decisions and arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government regarding the accelerated development of a more distinctive “Water Transport Jiangsu,” further leverage our city’s water transport resources to build a more distinctive “Water Transport Wuxi,” achieve the intensive integration, efficient utilization, and orderly development of port waterfront resources, and promote the capacity expansion and transformation of Yangtze River ports as well as the intensive development and efficiency enhancement of inland river ports, this Action Plan is hereby formulated.
I. Objectives and Requirements
In accordance with the requirements for building a modern water transport system characterized by broader coverage, higher standards, smoother coordination, and greater benefits, this plan focuses on the intensive and efficient utilization of port waterfront resources. It prioritizes the construction, renovation, and expansion of a batch of ports; the intensive integration of another batch; the standardization and upgrading of yet another batch; and the remediation and vacating of a final batch.By 2027, we aim to establish multiple exemplary cases of intensive and efficient utilization of port waterfront resources across the province, and build a modern port cluster characterized by high-level hub functions, efficient resource utilization, and high-standard green and smart operations, thereby providing strong support for the “Double Linkage and Double Enhancement” project and the “Water Transport Wuxi” initiative.
— The capacity for intensive and specialized port operations will be significantly enhanced. Wuxi (Jiangyin) Port will complete more than five port renovation and expansion projects, adding five new berths with a capacity of 50,000 tons or more, and increasing throughput capacity by more than 40 million tons;Wuxi’s inland river ports will complete the optimization and upgrading of specialized functions in eight public core and major operational zones; the proportion of 1,000-ton-class berths along the Southern Jiangsu Canal will increase from 18% to 40%; the number of ports (421) will be reduced by more than 50; and the throughput capacity per linear meter of waterfront will grow by an average of 3% annually.
— Breakthroughs in smart and green port development. Smart sensing networks will be established at virtually all berths and terminals with a capacity of 50,000 tons or more across the city; a number of fully automated container and dry bulk terminals will be built; and the proportion of provincial-level green port model cases selected from our city each year will exceed 20%.
II. Key Tasks
(1) Optimizing the Top-Level Design for Port Waterfront Utilization
1. Strengthen the guiding role of port waterfront utilization planning. Accelerate the revision of the master plans for Wuxi (Jiangyin) Port and Wuxi Inland Port, ensure alignment with the *Wuxi City Territorial Space Master Plan (2021–2035)*, advance environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval procedures, and strive for the prompt implementation of planning approvals.Precisely define the hub functions of the port, prioritizing and intensifying planning and construction efforts for core operational areas such as container terminals and intermodal rail-water transport. Enhance the alignment between port waterfront planning and the transportation needs of industrial parks to facilitate the implementation of major industrial projects. Explore the development of a city-wide plan for port-adjacent industrial development to further clarify industrial development directions and the layout of port-industry synergy, accelerate the aggregation of high-end resources and factors, and build a new port-adjacent industrial system that clusters industries, promotes industrial growth, and strengthens industrial chains.Explore the issuance of guidelines on safety management for dangerous goods terminals and the construction of off-port passenger vessel berthing sites to fill gaps in standards for specific sectors of water transport. [Responsibility lies with the Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, Municipal Commerce Bureau, and Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, as well as the people’s governments of all cities (counties) and districts and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, in accordance with their respective duties]
2. Improve the statistical system for port waterfront resources. Conduct in-depth on-site surveys and verifications of the baseline data and development status of waterfront resources on a segment-by-segment basis, and establish a “one file per enterprise” ledger for port enterprises. Based on actual conditions such as planning revisions, waterfront approvals, project construction, and terminal renovations, promptly upload and update relevant data to the Jiangsu Provincial Port Comprehensive Information System and the Wuxi Port and Shipping Green Smart Platform.Make full use of remote sensing, geographic information, and other technologies to promote cross-departmental information sharing and cross-industry spatial integration regarding port shoreline resources, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of resource utilization monitoring and construction project management. [Responsibility lies with the Municipal Transportation Bureau, the people’s governments of each city (county) and district, and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, in accordance with their respective duties]
3. Strengthen the evaluation of port shoreline utilization and the application of evaluation results. Conduct regular evaluations of port shoreline utilization, taking into full account factors such as regional differences, types of facilities, and cargo categories to reasonably establish relevant evaluation standards; such evaluations shall be conducted once a year.The municipal transportation department shall issue normative and guiding documents, explore the implementation of graded and categorized management based on unified standards, and establish a post-use evaluation and monitoring mechanism for waterfront resources. It shall conduct follow-up assessments of waterfront resource utilization and, upon project completion, promptly compare and analyze results against the expected indicators declared during the waterfront application process. This will enable precise and targeted supervision of port resources, effectively promoting the high-quality development of Wuxi’s ports.[The Municipal Transportation Bureau, the people’s governments of all cities (counties) and districts, and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties]
(2) Promoting the Optimal Utilization of Newly Added Port Waterfront Areas
4. Deepen industry guidance on the utilization of additional shoreline.Strengthen guidance and regulation on the utilization of incremental shoreline resources across the region. Using project benefits, efficiency, and levels of green and smart development as key factors, enhance guidance and review of specific projects involving new shoreline usage. Strengthen industry management, provide proactive guidance on the preparation of shoreline usage application documents, conduct thorough feasibility studies on the necessity of new shoreline allocations, and ensure the rational use of port resources. [The Municipal Transportation Bureau, the people’s governments of all cities (counties) and districts, and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties]
5. Accelerate the capacity expansion and transformation of riverfront port shorelines. Promote the functional optimization and transformation of riverfront ports, focusing on tapping the potential of shoreline resources and optimizing the port supply structure, with a priority on advancing the construction of specialized terminals for 50,000–150,000-ton vessels. Encourage the use of inner berths within large terminals to build small-scale river transshipment berths, and support the development of contiguous terminal projects by utilizing scattered shoreline sections between terminals.In the Shenxia Port Area, priority will be given to projects such as the Phase II expansion of Berth No. 5, the construction of Berth No. 2, and the renovation and expansion of Inner Basins 1–3; in the Shili Port Area, efforts will focus on accelerating the transformation of the approved LNG terminal into a public facility and expediting the renovation and expansion of terminals supporting power plants; in the Changshan Port Area, port waterfront resources will be developed in a coordinated manner, and the development and construction of the Dongjiang Operations Area will proceed steadily. (Municipal Transportation Bureau and Jiangyin Municipal People’s Government, in accordance with their respective responsibilities)
6. Promote the large-scale and intensive development of inland river ports. To facilitate the establishment of major industrial projects and support the layout of strategic emerging industries, priority will be given to ensuring the construction of specialized and public-use terminals along newly added waterfront areas.Encourage the use of feeder channels or river branches to construct cut-in basins, thereby reducing the occupation of natural shoreline and improving resource utilization efficiency. Optimize and upgrade the functions of terminals along the Southern Jiangsu Canal, unlock the capacity of terminal hydraulic structures, and effectively enhance berthing standards and operational efficiency, while gradually extending these practices to other provincial trunk waterways.Accelerate the construction of public terminal areas such as Phase III of the Chengxi New Port Terminal Area in Yixing City, the Shitangwan Rail-Water Intermodal Terminal Area in Huishan District, and the Yuecheng South Terminal Area in Jiangyin City. Encourage the conversion of shipper-owned terminals into public terminals to improve the efficiency of inland waterway freight distribution.Promote the consolidation of homogeneous terminals, encourage various types of terminals to optimize their layouts through market-oriented approaches, improve operational efficiency, and create terminal clusters with significant economies of scale. Support the clustered development of port-adjacent industries and accelerate the construction of enterprise-owned terminals. [The Municipal Transportation Bureau, the people’s governments of all cities (counties) and districts, and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee shall be responsible according to their respective duties]
(3) Unlocking the Potential of Existing Port Waterfront Resources
7. Rectify and revitalize underutilized and idle waterfront areas. The municipal transportation department will establish a database for the rectification and upgrading of waterfront areas based on assessments of waterfront utilization across all terminals in the city. This database will be updated annually on a rolling basis to continuously promote the large-scale, intensive, and specialized development of port terminals.Maintain close coordination with local governments to prioritize the recovery and reuse of underutilized and idle waterfront areas with distinct locational advantages and superior transportation conditions. This will revitalize underutilized waterfront resources, enhance resource utilization efficiency, and foster a virtuous cycle of waterfront utilization. [Responsibility lies with the Municipal Transportation Bureau, the people’s governments of each city (county) and district, and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, in accordance with their respective duties]
8. Comprehensively advance the “Smart, Green, Safe, and Efficient” Transformation. Strengthen coordinated governance among “ships, ports, and cities,” promote pollution reduction and carbon emission cuts in ports, and accelerate the adjustment of energy consumption structures.Accelerate the development of smart ports by deepening the integration of digital technologies—such as 5G, Beidou, and the Internet of Things—with port operations to empower production, service, and management. Support the full automation and intelligent operation of key production processes at container terminals and the implementation of digital safety management at dangerous goods terminals. Encourage inland river terminals to install smart monitoring systems, upgrade smart lifting equipment, and develop and apply intelligent port production scheduling systems.Promote the development of green ports, implement technical inspections and rectifications of port pollution prevention facilities, and strengthen the construction and upgrading of environmental protection facilities such as air and water pollution control and ship-generated waste reception systems.Enhance the inherent safety level of ports by gradually advancing the renovation and expansion of aging dangerous goods terminals and storage tanks; regularly conducting safety risk assessments of dangerous goods yards, storage tanks, and concentrated areas for ship (and truck) loading and unloading operations; and strengthening safety management for personnel. [The Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, Municipal Urban Management Bureau, Municipal Water Resources Bureau, and Municipal Emergency Management Bureau, as well as the people’s governments of all cities (counties) and districts and the Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee, shall be responsible according to their respective duties]
III. Support Measures
All regions and departments shall optimize the project procedures for renovation and expansion projects. While ensuring quality, safety, and compliance with laws and regulations, the project procedures and application materials related to port waterfront and engineering design permits shall, in principle, be “reduced wherever possible and simplified to the fullest extent.” The municipal transportation department shall actively coordinate with departments such as development and reform, natural resources and planning, ecology and environment, and water resources to explore ways to optimize the processing of preliminary procedures for renovation and expansion projects through measures such as consolidated approvals and green channels;Efforts should be made to establish a municipal-level port resource platform, encouraging the use of cross-shareholding and other methods to strengthen cooperation with central and state-owned enterprises, thereby fostering and expanding the water transport market. The municipal transportation department shall incorporate this action plan into the city’s “Double Linkage and Double Improvement” initiative. Local governments must further reinforce their primary responsibility for the rectification and relocation of wharves, refine objectives and tasks, clarify the division of responsibilities, establish reverse schedules, and strengthen work coordination to ensure that every task is effectively implemented.
