Rugao Port in Nantong. [Photo/cpcrugao.cn]

Cargo and container throughput at Rugao Port surpassed 75 million tons and 450,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), respectively, from January to November, up 22 percent and 40 percent year-on-year, both of which were record highs, according to the city's transportation bureau.

The port has been working to improve its services and introduce more shipping routes in an effort to solve logistical problems and lower costs for inland companies.

It is talking with international shipping companies in Shanghai and Hong Kong and plans to open one or two new direct routes to Japan and South Korea.

This year, Rugao has undertaken the on-water unloading and shipping of macadam in the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River. The local government has introduced a slew of measures to ensure efficiency and reduce dust pollution.

The wharves for hazardous chemicals have also introduced normalized environmental protection measures, including recycling volatile oil and gas and transforming boilers to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.