On the surface of the Shaying River, a thousand ton cargo ship loaded with goods smoothly sailed through the main port area of Luohe Port. On October 16, 2026, the first phase of the Zhaoling operation area in the central port area of Luohe Port officially started construction, and the construction process of the Shaying River shipping hub entered a new stage. As a core inland port in the Shaying River Basin, Luohe Port has seen a continuous increase in cargo throughput since its official opening in July 2019. By the first three quarters of 2026, it has exceeded 1.97 million tons, an increase of 22.3% compared to the same period in 2025. The demand for port expansion is already very urgent.

The hardware configuration of the new port area has been fully upgraded

The total investment of the first phase of the Zhaoling operation area project is 708 million yuan, and 8 1000 ton cargo berths will be built. The hydraulic structure is designed to accommodate 2000 ton ships, with a total shoreline length of 570 meters and a total area of more than 570 acres. The designed annual throughput capacity is 3.49 million tons. The construction content covers a complete set of supporting facilities such as docks, embankment reconstruction, storage yards, warehouses, comprehensive management buildings, and water supply and drainage, fully planned and constructed in accordance with modern inland port standards.

The project will be implemented in batches, starting with the construction of four upstream berths, the withdrawal of embankments, the hardening of beaches, and the corresponding construction of land buildings in the rear. The overall construction period is 24 months. After the first batch of berths are put into operation, the storage capacity of a single batch of goods at Luohe Port will be nearly doubled, the efficiency of port transportation will be greatly improved, and the channel for bulk goods to reach the river and sea in central and southern Henan will be further expanded.

Low water terminal plan creates green and low-carbon samples

During the early stages of the project, in response to the industry pain points of high investment and low operational efficiency in traditional high pile docks, the construction party organized design, consulting units, and industry experts to hold multiple scheme seminars, conducted on-site visits and research on multiple low water dock landing cases in China, and finally formed an optimized plan that was successfully approved, becoming the first officially approved low water dock project by the Henan Provincial Department of Water Resources.

After the implementation of this low water terminal plan, it can effectively reduce the overall construction investment of the project, significantly reduce the height difference between the front operating face of the terminal and the ship deck, significantly improve the efficiency of port loading and unloading operations, and effectively control long-term operating energy consumption and maintenance costs. Unlike the design concept of traditional high pile docks, the application of low water docks has explored a new replicable path for green and low-carbon construction of inland ports in Henan. Keywords: Water Transport Terminal, Shipping

The shipping waves of the Shaying River are carrying industrial goods from central and southern Henan all the way east. The construction of the Zhaoling operation area will make Luohe Port a core inland hub connecting central and southern Henan to the Yangtze River Delta, injecting a continuous stream of water energy into the development of the region's outward oriented economy.Editor/Cheng Liting