Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) will spend around US$142 million to excavate the waters around berths 76, 77 and 78 in Kaohsiung port as South Korean flagship carrier HMM has agreed to renew its lease.
In May 2017, HMM took over operations of the three berths from its former compatriot peer Hanjin Shipping, which was declared bankrupt in February of that year. The three berths have an annual handling capacity of 640,000 TEUs and are added to HMM’s existing terminal at berths 118 and 119.
TIPC chairman Lee Hsien-yi said at a media briefing today (7 August) that HMM will renew the lease by 15 years, with an option to extend the period by another five years.
Lee said that to meet HMM’s requirements, TIPC will dredge the waters around the berths so that ships of up to 24,000 TEUs can be accommodated. The deepening works will take approximately two years.
He said that the global economy has been hit by inflation and the effects of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and this has continued since mid-2022. In 2022, Kaohsiung processed 9.49 million TEUs, a 4% dip from 2021, as container volumes began contracting after the pandemic-fuelled boom.
TIPC therefore has to upgrade infrastructure in Taiwanese ports to future-proof itself, so that the ports can reap the benefits of opportunities when the economy recovers.
Besides Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s main container port, Lee said that public buildings in the southern wharf area of Taipei port have been constructed to cater to investors and manufacturers in the vicinity.
In May, the first phase of No. 7 Terminal, which is operated by Evergreen Marine Corporation, began operations, paving the way for Kaohsiung to welcome 24,000 TEU ships.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
