International shipping sees a doubling of export volume of energy storage containers from Taicang Port
According to Taicang Maritime News, the latest statistics show that Taicang Port achieved remarkable results in the shipment of energy storage containers in 2025, with a total shipment volume exceeding 10,200 TEU, nearly doubling compared to the previous year. Among them, 2,640 TEU of energy storage containers were transported via water-water transfer.
Amidst the rising popularity of exports in the "new three" foreign trade sectors (electric vehicles, photovoltaic products, and lithium batteries), the energy storage container transportation business at Taicang Port has shown a promising trend of leapfrog development, injecting strong momentum into the local new energy industry as it transitions to a new phase of high-quality growth.
However, the rapid growth in exports of the "new three products" has also brought many challenges to Taicang Port. The transportation pressure brought about by the surge in export volume, the potential high risks during transportation, and the issues related to the incomplete unification of industry standards all urgently need to be addressed. Faced with these challenges, the Taicang Maritime Administration has carefully constructed a full-chain guarantee mechanism and, through innovative measures, successfully created a demonstrative "Taicang Model", providing valuable experience for other regions to learn from.
The Taicang maritime department has taken proactive measures and led the establishment of the Party Committee for the New Business Formats of Port and Waterway Logistics Chain. This committee integrates the organizational strengths of 11 units including maritime affairs, ports, and enterprises, forming a powerful working synergy. Through this platform, it has promoted the smooth implementation of multiple standards for the transportation of energy storage cabinets, effectively breaking down barriers in cross-departmental and cross-regional collaborative work. With concerted efforts at the institutional level, it has laid a solid foundation for the standardized development of energy storage cabinet transportation business.
To ensure the safe transportation of energy storage cabinets, the Taicang Maritime Safety Administration has established a three-pronged regulatory network encompassing "human defense, physical defense, and technical defense". During the regulatory process, a closed-loop management model featuring strict source auditing, precise process control, and regular emergency drills is implemented. Especially for the potential sudden thermal runaway of lithium battery energy storage cabinets, special emergency drills are organized. Through practical simulations, the emergency response capability for "difficult to extinguish and prone to rekindling" fires has been significantly enhanced, laying a solid foundation for the safe transportation of energy storage cabinets.
In terms of service optimization, the Taicang maritime department has actively collaborated with Hefei, Wuhan, and other regions to implement the mutual recognition mechanism of "one-document system" and "one-box system" supervision. This measure has significantly simplified the corporate procedure handling process, reducing corporate procedures by 25%, while the cost per container transportation has decreased by approximately 20%, effectively lowering the operational costs of enterprises. Furthermore, a "special task force for new business forms" has been established to provide enterprises with "7×24-hour" appointment inspection services, and a "green channel" has been opened, significantly enhancing the port's traffic efficiency and providing strong support for the rapid export of "new three types" products.