As the container ship Xinweihai set sail in the early morning from the Yingkou Port on Oct. 8, Yingkou became the tenth city to have a yearly throughput of 100 million tons, three years before the targeted year of 2010. Whole year throughput is expected to exceed 120 million tons.

The throughput record was made after central government's decision to revitalize China's northeastern old industrial bases, said Gao Baoyu, head of Yingkou Port Group Corp in a press conference.

Competitive prices, quality service, and support from Yingkou government also helped the port enter China's first-tier port club, he added.

As the second biggest port in the northeast only after Dalian, Yingkou Port is favorably located because it is the closest to the inland Northeast and Inner Mongolia area.

The port also boasts the largest freight volume of minerals, steel and chemical fertilizer among all northeastern ports.

According to the 11th Five Year Plan (2005-2010), the Yingkou Port plans to invest 14 billion yuan (1.87 billion U.S. dollars) in building container and steel terminals and in overhauling waterway, in a bid to expand freight handling capacity to 200 million tons by 2010.