A rendering of the enclosed canopy project at the Haicang Port Area, Xiamen Port. [Photo/Haiyu Terminal]
A newly built enclosed coal shed at Xiamen Port's Haicang Port Area has taken delivery of its first shipment — nearly 120,000 metric tons of Australian coal. Instead of sitting in open yards, the coal is now stored under cover, significantly reducing dust as the port works to cut emissions.
The 240-million-yuan ($33-million) project covers roughly 31 hectares and includes three fully enclosed coal warehouses. The newly opened Shed C is the largest, at around 44,400 square meters, with Sheds A and B due in June and December 2027, respectively. Together they will hold 800,000 tons.
The Haiyu terminal in Haicang is Xiamen Port's main coal-handling facility, serving power plants across Fujian and neighboring provinces.
Shed C sits just 40 meters from the coal unloaders. Seven hoppers catch coal from the ship's unloading cranes, and trucks carry it straight to storage. Misting devices run each time a grab empties into a hopper, and a covered passage will eventually link the hoppers to the sheds, creating a dedicated route from ship to yard.
Inside, 24 rotating misting lights are installed, and an air-quality monitoring system will trigger sprinklers automatically when PM2.5 levels rise.
The port expects the sheds to cut dust dispersal by 80 to 95 percent and reduce how high dust rises by 75 to 80 percent, while also protecting coal from rain and improving conditions for workers.
Solar panels will eventually cover the shed roofs, generating clean power across 120,000 sq m of rooftop for port operations.