Guangzhou Port had leapt from the 12th place to the fifth in terms of cargo volume among the world's harbors last year.

The south China port handled 300 million tons of goods and 6.6 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in 2006, says Thursday's China Securities Journal.

The port is China's third-largest cargo port after Shanghai Port and Shenzhen Port.

The cargo volume of Guangzhou Port has grown rapidly since Nansha Port, a deep-water development of Guangzhou port designed to cater to international shipping, came into operation in September 2004.

Nansha, currently with 10 berths, handled 2.41 million TEUs in 2006. It is expected to have an annual capacity of more than 10 million TEUs by 2010, said Xian Weixiong, director of Guangzhou Communications Commission.

Guangzhou plans to invest 27.3 billion yuan (about 3.55 billion U.S. dollars) in port construction in the 2006-2010 period, with 90 percent of the investment going to building 46 more berths at Nansha, said Xian.

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