The nation’s largest land reclamation project in a commercial sea port has been completed after nine years of construction, Taiwan International Ports Corp announced yesterday.
The Port of Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Terminal Phase II project was launched in March 2011 to address the challenges facing the port and help it respond to the rapid changes in the global shipping sector, the company said.
The project has expanded the port’s hinterland, which would streamline container terminal operations, it said, adding that the added area would enable the construction of new deep-water berths for large container vessels.
It also opens up new opportunities for investments by manufacturers, the company said.
The reclaimed land covers 422.5 hectares, about 16 the size of Taipei’s Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園), it said, adding that the project also includes a 6.81km-long outer breakwater.
The reclaimed land would be used to build a warehousing logistics center, a container terminal and a bulk carrier terminal, the company added.
Nineteen new deep-water wharves — five berths that can service mega-container vessels, 10 for petrochemical ships and to accommodate bulk cargo vessels — would also be built, it said.
The project cost NT$112.5 billion (US$3.75 billion), with NT$26.9 billion from the government, the company said, adding that the remainder was funded by private investors.
As the project is also the nation’s largest marine engineering project over the past few decades, construction followed the principle of sustainability, the company said, adding that it has launched key water and ecological protection and conservation initiatives through the project.
The company said that it has signed long-term contracts and leased part of the reclaimed land to CPC Corp, Taiwan, and other petrochemical companies.
To further solidify the Port of Kaohsiung as a key western Pacific shipping hub, the port company said it has signed a long-term contract with Evergreen Marine Corp, which would lease the container terminal.
The port company said it has yet to find tenants for the bulk carrier terminal.
“We hope the project will enhance our modern container ship handling and logistics capabilities,” it said.
It made significant progress in restoring and repurposing the port’s old harbor area, the port company said, adding that it would soon relocate bulk carriers from the port’s Zhongdao Wharf to the new bulk cargo carrier terminal.
This would free up land surrounding Zhongdao Wharf for more lucrative ventures that would help increase the port’s revenue, it said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference