July 15, 2004
Ground was broken on May 6 for construction of the first container center at the Port of Taipei, which is aimed at reinforcing Taiwan's global logistics capabilities. This container center, the first to be built on the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model, will relieve operators of the approximately US$200 million cost of shipping containers by land from northern Taiwan to the south, and will attract companies to set up high-value-added international logistics centers.
The container center is being built on commission from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications by a special company, which was organized by three large shipping firms: Evergreen Marine, Hon Hai Lines, and Yangming Marine. Investment in the facility will total approximately NT$20.3 billion, including seven container wharfs and storage facilities. The first wharf is to be completed in March 2008, with the remainder being finished successively up to 2014. The work will provide an estimated 20,000 jobs.
The Port of Taipei (which used to be known as Danshuei Harbor) is located at the mouth of the Danshuei River at the northern tip of Taiwan, 34 nautical miles west of Keelung Harbor, 87 nautical miles north of Taichung Harbor, and 134 nautical miles from Fuzhou Harbor in mainland China. The area of Taipei Port reaches from the southern edge of the Bali water treatment plant in the north to the inshore waters at the mouth of the Rueishukeng Stream in Linkou Township to the south. It encompasses a total of 3,102 hectares. Taking the land and sea areas together, Taipei Port is eight times the size of Keelung Harbor. The Bali-Wugu section of an east-west expressway now under construction will be completed in 2008, at which time it will become possible to transport containers from the port to the Taipei metropolitan area via the expressway or to link with Chiang Kai-shek International Airport via the West Coast Highway, which is currently being widened. This will make Taipei Port an important hub for sea-air intermodal shipment. In line with the future development of the new port, the Taipei County Government plans to develop 1,138 hectares in nearby Bali and Linkou into the Port of Taipei Special Zone for logistics, shipping, warehousing, conference, recreation, and hotel facilities. An enthusiastic response has already been aroused among logistics, recreational, and tourist boat operators. The Port of Taipei Special Zone plan is under review by the Area Plan Committee, Ministry of the Interior.
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