Lithium batteries are loaded onto a ship. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]
A 242 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) shipment of lithium batteries bound for Europe departed from Xiamen Port's Ocean Gate Container Terminal on March 24 aboard the COSCO SHIPPING PLANET.
As a core hub for new energy products along the southeastern coast, Xiamen Port continues to see strong momentum in lithium battery exports. From January to February, 110 TEUs of energy storage containers and over 8,000 TEUs of lithium-ion batteries were exported, up 478.9 percent and 44.6 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Energy storage containers, resembling standard shipping containers but packed with lithium batteries, have become a star product in the sector and are often called "giant power banks".
However, no unified maritime transport standards existed for such oversized, heavy custom products. Xiamen Port stepped in with the nation's first maritime safety guidelines for containerized lithium battery energy storage systems, creating a complete technical support framework.
Hazardous cargo container storage capacity is key to a port's growth in new energy battery exports and its competitiveness among major international ports.
Xiamen Port is the first in Fujian province to allow mixed storage of hazardous and general cargo containers. Four of its terminals, including Haitian and Songyu, now have refrigerated hazardous cargo yards, handling over 132,000 TEUs annually, ranking among the top ports in China.
The buslting Xiamen Port. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]