A crane unloads quartz sand from a Malaysian cargo ship at the Changyuan International Wharf in Rugao, Nantong on Aug 2. [Photo/nantong.gov.cn]

NEW KEEPER, a cargo ship from Malaysia, arrived at the Changyuan International Wharf in Rugao Port on Aug 2. It is the first foreign ship to stop at the wharf since it opened on July 22.

The cargo ship carried 32,000 tons of quartz sand, which will be delivered by water to Anhui province to produce glass.

Meanwhile, 30,000-ton domestic cargo ship Zhongyu 28 also berthed at the wharf, making this the first time the wharf has handled two ships with a capacity of more than 10,000 tons each simultaneously.

The Changyuan International Wharf was sponsored and built by Jiangsu Changyuan Steel Logistics Investment Co, a subsidiary of Jiangsu Rugao Port Group.

The first phase took advantage of 450 meters of waterfront along the Yangtze River to build a 50,000-ton berth and a 20,000-ton berth, costing a total of 600 million yuan ($86.94 million).

The wharf started operating in March and was approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Commerce on July 22 to temporarily open to foreign ships.

Officials said the wharf is now capable of unloading 50,000 tons of bulk cargo within 24 hours.