Shanghai International Shipping Center Seizes the New Digital, Intelligent, and Green Track

Shanghai Port aims to achieve an annual container throughput of over 58 million TEUs, annual air passenger throughput of 150 million, and annual cargo and mail throughput of approximately 4.7 million tons... On July 22, the Shanghai Municipal Government Information Office held a themed press conference titled "Starting the '15th Five-Year Plan'" to unveil the new blueprint for Shanghai's international shipping center. By 2030, Shanghai will have essentially built an international shipping center that leads globally in hub gateway capabilities, offers high-quality and convenient modern shipping services, pioneers smart and low-carbon shipping innovations, boasts a resilient shipping governance system, and significantly enhances global shipping resource allocation capabilities.

The "Shanghai Accelerates the Construction of an International Shipping Center '15th Five-Year Plan'" (referred to as the "Plan") has been officially released, anchoring the overall goal and identifying six key tasks. "We need both scale and quality; we must consolidate traditional advantages while seizing new opportunities in digital intelligence and green development," said Shanghai Vice Mayor He Qing at the press conference. Through five years of effort, Shanghai aims to achieve a more stable position as a shipping hub, a more efficient and smooth logistics system, significantly enhanced shipping service functions, and accelerated upgrades in digital intelligence and low-carbon transformation.

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Shanghai will establish a high-quality multimodal transport development framework featuring a more complete collection and distribution network, a rational structure of various transportation modes, high-quality and efficient full-chain logistics services, and deep integration of industrial and logistics chains. By 2030, the proportion of container water-to-water transshipment will reach 55%, and container sea-rail intermodal transport volume will reach approximately 2 million TEUs. Focusing on modern shipping services such as shipping insurance and maritime arbitration, Shanghai will accelerate the aggregation of shipping service elements, comprehensively enhance capabilities, and significantly strengthen independent supply capacity. Efforts will be made to build a cross-border integrated digital shipping ecosystem, achieving automated port operations of 15 million TEUs, paperless airport passenger travel processes, and scaled-up green fuel bunkering for ships, including bonded LNG bunkering reaching 1 million cubic meters.

The world's largest international container port is accumulating stronger momentum. Shanghai will accelerate the development of a world-class international maritime hub, promote key projects such as the northern part of Xiaoyangshan and Luojing Port Area, and ensure the reserve of deep-water shoreline resources. Bottlenecks in inland waterway navigation will be addressed, and river-sea direct channels will be constructed to facilitate smoother water-to-water transshipment of goods. The Waigaoqiao Container Rail Center Station and port loading and unloading lines will be completed, continuously expanding the hinterland market for sea-rail intermodal transport.

Focusing on building a comprehensive international aviation hub, Shanghai has clarified that the fourth phase of Pudong Airport and the Oriental Hub Shanghai East Station will be completed and put into operation during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Simultaneously, the second phase of the Shanghai-Nantong Railway and Metro Line 21 will be completed as part of the collection and distribution facilities. Airlines will be supported in increasing capacity deployment at the Shanghai hub, and logistics integrators and cross-border e-commerce platforms will be encouraged to establish headquarters or distribution centers.

Digital and green transformation upgrades are the prevailing trend. The "Plan" proposes expanding the scope and scale of digital applications in shipping and trade, with a focus on building a distributed collaborative data chain for the Yangtze River Economic Belt and constructing a digital service ecosystem for shipping trade. Upgraded versions of smart ports and smart airports will be developed, and systematic efforts will be made to build smart inland waterways.