On the coastline of the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River, the remote control of the quay crane ensures precise takeoff and landing, unmanned trucks shuttle in an orderly manner, and foreign trade ships set sail with their horns sounding. In the first half of 2026, the throughput of Chongqing ports exceeded 118 million tons, and the volume of water transport containers increased by 11.4% year-on-year. The three core hub ports are all in the red, and the rise of the Yangtze River upstream shipping center is becoming increasingly clear.

Wisdom and energy level upgrade in both directions

Guoyuan Port has completed the dual four-star intelligent green port certification, and operators can simultaneously operate multiple field bridges, achieving 24-hour uninterrupted operation time for a single equipment. With the support of 5G, the positioning accuracy of unmanned container trucks has reached centimeter level, and the cost of single box operation has been reduced to one-third of the original.

After the completion and operation of the second phase of Xintian Port, the annual throughput capacity has jumped from 6.25 million tons to over 21 million tons. The time for goods to go out to sea in eastern Sichuan, Dazhou and other places has been shortened by 2 to 5 days, and the cost of single box logistics has been saved by 300 to 500 yuan. The transportation time of grain through river sea intermodal transportation has been directly reduced by one-third. The cargo structure of Luohuang Port continues to optimize, with a year-on-year increase of over 120% in container operations, completely bidding farewell to the old pattern of single bulk cargo.

Continuous weaving of open channels

Guoyuan Port has achieved the physical intersection of the Western Land Sea New Channel, the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, and the China Europe Railway Express, with 14 dedicated railway lines directly connecting to the port area. The overall progress of the port related industrial projects has reached 45%, and the radiation range of the channel has further extended northward after the landing of Guang'an Dry Port.

Xintian Port and Ningbo Zhoushan Port are deeply linked, expanding their radiation boundaries to the northwest, eastern Sichuan, and western Hubei regions, shifting from a single loading and unloading node to a comprehensive hub for integrated transportation and trade. The Luohuang Port Shanghai Chongqing Direct Express has officially opened, reducing the sea voyage of KD parts produced in Chongqing by one-third. The Jiangjin Railway Sea Intermodal Transport volume of the Western Land Sea New Corridor ranks first in the city, and the volume of foreign trade container business has increased by 284% in two years. Keywords: Chongqing's three major hub ports, railway sea intermodal transportation volume

From traditional inland port clusters to open hubs connecting rivers and seas, the growth of Chongqing's three major hub ports has already exceeded the increase in throughput numbers. The multiple effects of intelligent technology empowerment, multimodal transportation connectivity, and port industry agglomeration are creating a more efficient new path for the western inland regions to go global.Editor/Cheng Liting