Amid the sounds of ship horns and bustling vessel traffic, Yancheng Port's various terminals are scenes of vigorous activity as the year draws to a close. Established on June 16, 2020, Yancheng Port Group was tasked with comprehensively integrating the city's port resources and advancing the coordinated development of sea-river intermodal transport. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the group undertook the mission of building a maritime gateway connecting Yancheng to the world, embarking on a transformative journey from inland waterways to the deep blue sea. Over five years of determined progress, Yancheng Port has achieved a historic leap—evolving from fragmented resources to unified strength, from limited functions to diversified expansion, and from a regional node to an open hub. It has proudly entered the ranks of "100-million-ton ports" and secured a position among China's top 20 coastal ports, marking a powerful chapter in modern port development.

Integration has been the cornerstone of building a stronger port through unified development. Reform has been the key to overcoming challenges. From its inception, Yancheng Port Group has been committed to integrating sea and river port areas within the city and establishing itself as the maritime gateway of the Huaihe River Ecological Economic Belt. To drive integration, the port invested over RMB 20 billion during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, launching an unprecedented initiative to strengthen its maritime capabilities. Streamlining management structures, advancing infrastructure, and optimizing functional layouts became top priorities. Under a unified plan, Yancheng Port’s terminals have developed distinct, complementary roles: Binhai Port Area focuses on becoming a national hub for the new energy industry; Dafeng Port Area aims to specialize in agricultural, forestry, and livestock sectors; Xiangshui Port Area is positioned as a multimodal logistics hub known for river-sea intermodal transport; and Sheyang Port Area is dedicated to becoming a global leader in wind power equipment with its low- and zero-carbon port model.

Integration extends beyond physical connectivity to innovations in service models. Yancheng Port has pioneered a mechanism linking port services with industrial support, strategically developing logistics parks and enhancing multimodal transport systems combining road, rail, and water routes. Through tailored logistics solutions for local enterprises, the port has fostered a mature logistics network connecting north-south maritime routes and east-west inland waterways. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the port handled nearly 130 million tons of wind power equipment, including the country’s longest 147-meter wind turbine blades. Yueda Kia also began exporting vehicles via Binhang Port Area, underscoring the "made in Yancheng, shipped from Yancheng" initiative. Key metrics reflect solid progress: in 2025, Yancheng Port Group handled 177 million tons of cargo, 2.86 times the 2020 volume, and 892,700 TEUs of containers, a 3.41-fold increase. All four port areas are now national Class I open ports with deep-water channels accommodating vessels over 10,000 tons. Through comprehensive reforms, Yancheng Port has transitioned from catching up to keeping pace and even leading in certain areas, demonstrating resilience and a strong commitment to national strategic goals.

Expanding channels has been central to enhancing global connectivity. With a strategy to optimize inland routes, strengthen near-sea services, increase short-sea routes, and explore deep-sea opportunities, Yancheng Port has built an extensive shipping network. It now connects north to the Bohai Rim and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, south to the Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia, east to Japan, South Korea, and Northeast Asia, and west to central and western China as well as Central Asia. Its 65 international and domestic routes have established new pathways linking Yancheng to global markets. As the maritime gateway of the Huaihe River Ecological Economic Belt, the port has leveraged opportunities from waterway improvements, utilizing its container and vessel resources to promote multimodal solutions such as shifting bulk cargo to containers and land transport to water routes. By the end of 2025, it had launched 15 container routes within the Huaihe River basin, facilitating two-way cargo flow between Yancheng and riverside cities.

Channel advantages have been translated into hub capabilities. By actively engaging in the Belt and Road Initiative and aligning with RCEP, Yancheng Port partnered with Shanghai Port to establish a container distribution center in Northern Jiangsu. It has also handled over 10,000 TEUs of Europe-Asia rail services, reducing logistics costs for local businesses by more than RMB 100 million. The port’s bonded logistics center has seen foreign trade values exceed RMB 10 billion for two consecutive years, ranking among the nation’s leaders, and it has been designated a national cold-chain logistics hub. With grain throughput surpassing 10 million tons, it has become a state grain reserve site. Yancheng Port has thus evolved from a traditional transshipment hub into a key node ensuring regional supply chain stability and supporting dual circulation.

Driven by smart and green initiatives, Yancheng Port is accelerating its transformation. In 2025, its technology arm was recognized as a provincial specialized SME. It demonstrated the world’s first prefabricated green intelligent port construction machinery and launched the country’s first green asset-backed security for ports on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The port also built Jiangsu’s first 5G automated container yard, earning international zero-carbon certification, and is developing a fully green, zero-carbon logistics chain. A blueprint integrating wind, solar, storage, hydrogen, and power systems highlights its commitment to green energy. Technological innovation has become a core driver of port development.

Strong institutional guidance and Party leadership have been vital to these achievements. Yancheng Port Group’s Party committee has embedded leadership into all aspects of governance, with clear roles for decision-making, execution, and oversight. "Party member pioneer teams" have been active in key projects, technological innovation, and market expansion, making Party-building integral to development. Moving beyond conventional approaches, the group has created a "Red Anchor" brand and a matrix of Party-building initiatives, fostering collaboration and integrating Party work with business and technology. This has effectively turned organizational strengths into developmental momentum.

Through principled innovation, Yancheng Port Group has established three core business segments: port planning, investment, construction, management, and operation; shipping, logistics, warehousing, and supply chain services; and agricultural and tourism investment and management. It has optimized its organizational structure with a three-tier management system, becoming the first port enterprise in Jiangsu to receive compliance management certification. A staff member noted that resource allocation has been improved through "six optimization actions," enabling efficient use of land, sea areas, and shoreline resources, orderly exit from non-core businesses, revitalization of idle assets, and better financial structures.

Looking back at the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Yancheng Port has achieved profound transformation and historical progress, aligning each step with national strategies and shouldering era responsibilities. Through institutional reforms and determined efforts, a dynamic landscape of port-industry-city integration is unfolding, full of vitality and promise. Moving forward, Yancheng Port will continue to advance with courage and maritime ambition. A group representative stated that by 2030, the port aims to complete a "two-core, two-wing, multi-point" port cluster, and by 2035, become a world-class port group that is safe, efficient, smart, and green—serving as the core hub for the Huaihe River Ecological Economic Belt in domestic and international circulation.