Taicang

1. No.1乙太仓浏河锚地 Pilot boards31°35.6′N 121°19.0′E
2. No.1太仓港海轮锚地 Pilot boards31°39.1′N 121°14.5′E
3. No.1甲太仓危险品锚地 Pilot boards31°33.8′N 121°19.7′E
4. No.2甲白茆沙锚地 Pilot boards31°43.5′N 121°08.0′E

Size limits

LOA 335m, beam 52m, draught 15.5m, 216,656DWT.

Water density

996-998.

Load line zone

Summer.

Tides

Average range 2.17m, maximum range 4.18m.

Deepest first. The draught is the largest any of the terminal's berths states; a dash means the source gives none.

Approach

The port fairway is 0.5-1nm wide has a maximum depth of 10.5m.

Anchorages

For sea going vessels: 30°34.4'N 121°19.1'E, depth 12.0m.

Taicang anchorage for waiting is bound by the following points: 31°39.5'N 121°13.6'E, 31°39.2'N 121°14.3'E, 31°37.4'N 121°15.5'E, 31°38.4'N 121°15.2'E, depth 15.0 to 20.0m, bottom sand, for vessels up to 150,000DWT.

Quarantine anchorage: 31°33.0'N 128°18.0'E to 31°36.0'N 128°29.0'E.

Restrictions

Daylight berthing and unberthing only.

Tugs

Total 16 tugs available.

Charts and publications

BA 1604, 8124. Admiralty Pilot NP30, NP286(6)

ETA and pre-arrival notices

The Master should advise the vessel's ETA to the state agent, or through the local agent to the state agency, 72, 48 and 24 hours prior to the vessel's arrival at the pilot station. The ETA message should include the time and date of the vessel's arrival and sea/fresh water draughts.

If there is any dangerous cargo onboard, the Master should also report details of that cargo including description, packaging, IMO code and gross/net weight.

Should the vessel's ETA or other circumstances change, prior to arrival, the Master should send further messages.

Communications

Vessels calling at Chinese ports are recommended to use Shanghai Radio (callsign "XSG") and Tianjin Radio (callsign "XSV") for passing messages at long range. Both stations work throughout 24 hours. Inmarsat communication is possible through Shanghai.

VHF: Zhuhai Radio monitors Ch 16 throughout 24 hours.

CJK Sea Pilot and River Pilot: Ch 69.

Port Control: Ch 06,10.

Taicang Pilot Station: Tel: +86 512 8883 7601 and Tel: +86 512 8883 7615.

Port Contact: VHF Frequency: Ch 11, +86 512 5318 6572, Email: [email protected], Website: tcport.gov.cn

Standard messages

The vessel's agent will send instructions to inbound vessels through the coast radio station being used or via Inmarsat. The instructions usually include the time and position of the pilot boarding. The Master is required to confirm receipt of messages to avoid delays to the vessel.

Notice of readiness

Normally NOR should be tendered according to the relevant clause in the Charter Party. If there is no special clause then it should be tendered according to the actual working hours of the port.

Documents

Note: In the above table LA = local agent, IM = Immigration office, CH = Customs House, QI = Quarantine Inspection office, AP = Animal and Plant Inspection office, HM = Harbour Master.

Health

When a vessel departs its previous port, prior to calling at a Chinese port, it should apply for pratique by radio.

Once the vessel arrives in port, the Quarantine officer boards to carry out an inspection.

Before pratique is granted, the vessel must fly the Interco "Q" flag and no crew are allowed to proceed ashore.

Ship Sanitation and Ship Sanitation Exemption Certificates can be renewed in all Chinese ports licensed for handling international vessels.

Customs and immigration

Allowances: The allowance for officers and crew are 2 cartons of cigarettes and 2 bottles of liquid which must be included in the Crew's Effects Declaration to the Customs House. There is a penalty for non compliance. The punishment for additional liquids varies according to the brand.

Immigration: Shore Passes are issued to each crew member after the Master has submitted/shown all the necessary documentation required to the Immigration officer. This includes General Declaration, Crew's Effects Declaration, Crew List and passports.

Crew are allowed to proceed ashore with a Shore Pass and their passport. All crew must be back onboard by 2359hrs. The crew are restricted to the city area and will be fined if they proceed outside this area. All foreign crew members should obey all the laws and practices of the PRC.

Flags

The national flag of the PRC, which is not old, damaged or colour faded, must be displayed in addition to normal Interco flags. Other flags are not to be displayed without permission from the Harbour Master.

Port State Control here: Tokyo MOU.

Running now: the Paris and Tokyo MOU concentrated inspection campaign on cargo securing, 1 September to 30 November 2026. Its questions are published: the questionnaire.

ISPS

ISPS Designated Authority: Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Department of Water Transportation.

Contact: Senior Marine Officer.

Address: 11 Jian Guo Men Nei Av, Beijing, 100736, China.

Tel: +86 01 652 92626.

Fax: +86 01 652 92642.

Email: [email protected]

For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www.imo.org

Repairs

Minor repairs only.

Bunkers, water and stores

Bunkering: Available.

Fresh Water: Available.

Medical

Hospital is available.

Crew change

Possible through Shanghai.

Transport

Airport: Shanghai Hong Qiao International airport 60km.

Rail: The Shanghai to Nanjing line is nearby.

Road: Taicang has an extensive network of highways, which includes Highway No 204 which runs across the city from S to N and Highway No 312 which serves Shanghai to Nanjing.

Where it is

Taicang Port is located at the interchange of China's Changjiang economic belt with the Changjiang (Yangtze) River to the E and Shanghai to the S, Wuxi and Changzhou to the W.

The port

The land area of the port is approximately 80km². The coastal line within the port area is 38.8km. The Taicang Port zone is wide with a 25km long coastal line. The port has a broad channel, straight coastline and deep water. In addition to being free of ice and silt, it is able to receive container vessels of the third and fourth generation. Taicang is considered to be one of the best ports on the mouth of the Changjiang River.

Main cargoes handled are oil, chemical and gas products, roll paper, steel coil, steel billet, tapioca chips, logs, wood pulp and containers.

Traffic

Approx 300,000,000t of cargo and 9,000,000TEU handled annually.

Where does the pilot board at Taicang?

The pilot boards at No.1乙太仓浏河锚地, 31°35.6′N 121°19.0′E. Taicang has 4 pilot boarding places.

What time zone is Taicang in?

Local time at Taicang is UTC+8. No summer time.

What is the maximum draft at Taicang?

The deepest berth listed is at Taicang Yanghong Petrochemical: 10.50 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.

What is the water density at Taicang?

996-998.

Which load line zone is Taicang in?

Summer.

Who carries out Port State Control at Taicang?

Port State Control at Taicang: Tokyo MOU.

What is the UN/LOCODE of Taicang?

The UN/LOCODE of Taicang is CNTAC.

What crews who called at Taicang say: pilot boarding, the agent's papers, inspections, shore leave. Each tip is shown with the writer's rank and ship type, and an AI summary sits on top once there are three or more.

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