SINGAPORE (June 10): PSA International has signed a joint venture agreement with Beibu Gulf Port Group (BPG) and Pacific International Lines (PIL) in Qinzhou City, Guangxi Province, China, to operate a new container terminal called Beibu Gulf-PSA International Container Terminal Co. (BPCT).

BPCT will have a designed capacity of 3 million TEUs per annum.

The joint venture will operate and manage a total quay length of 1,533 metres and develop it into a world-class facility to service the mega container vessels plying the world’s maritime trade routes today.

It will also be equipped with Super-Post Panamax quay cranes and provide a water depth of 15.1 metres.

Commencement of operations is expected in 4Q 2015.

PSA has established itself as the first and only Global Terminal Operator in the Guangxi-Beibu Gulf region.

The joint venture terminal is PSA’s first foray in the South-Western China region which one of the fastest growing economic regions in China.

Accessible to Southeast Asia by land and sea, the region has been earmarked by the Chinese government as a key area for coastal development and collaboration with ASEAN countries.

The terminal will support the container trade growth in the region and serve the vast hinterlands of Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing and Hunan.

It will also connect the region to key shipping routes linking China to Asean countries, East Africa & the Mediterranean.

Under the action plan for the “One Belt, One Road” development, which the Chinese Government issued on 28 March 2015, Guangxi is being positioned as an international corridor linking to the ASEAN region, and a strategic pillar to support the opening-up and development of the southwest and mid-south regions of China.

It also forms an important gateway connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

Commenting on the collaboration, Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO of PSA, said, “Guangxi-Beibu Gulf’s strategic location, established transport infrastructure and extensive hinterland offer tremendous potential for our terminal to support the remarkable growth in China’s South-Western region. I am confident that with the complementary strengths of the 3 shareholders (BPG, PIL and PSA), and the unwavering support from the Guangxi Government, we will be able to transform our joint venture terminal into a port of choice for the shipping lines.”