China’s rail boost

It has emerged that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) rejected the P3 plan of Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and CMA CGM because it was considered to be more akin to a merger than an operating alliance.

As the pace of urbanisation quickens, China plans to build 179 transport hubs by 2020 as part of a plan to develop a national transport system to cope with the increasing highway passenger and freight volumes and related pressures.

Throughput at China’s 10 biggest container ports rose 28.6 per cent to 51.2 mill TEU last year, with Shanghai retaining the top spot with 14.56 mill TEU, up 39 per cent over the 2003 figure.

Container throughput at China’s ports is expected to increase 25 percent this year to 45 mill TEU on the back of booming foreign trade.