PORT GUIDE · FOR OFFICERS, MASTERS AND SHORE TEAMS
Zhenjiang
Pilot
updated Jan 2014- No.18甲镇江危险品锚地 Pilot boards32°18.8′N 119°43.9′E
- No.18镇江海轮锚地 Pilot boards32°16.6′N 119°42.3′E
- CJJS#38镇江港高资海轮锚地 Pilot boards32°12.2′N 119°16.3′E
Compulsory. Pilot service is compulsory and is available during the daytime only. First Section from Changjiangkou to Baoshan and Second Section from Baoshan to Zhenjiang. The Sea Pilot boards the vessel at the Changjiangkou anchorage, the River Plot boards at the Baoshan Hangdao (31°26.32'N 121°29.18'E).
Key data
updated Dec 2022Size limits
LOA 300m, beam 50m, draught 10.5m, 209,240DWT.
Water density
996-998.
Load line zone
Summer.
Tides
The port is on the tidal reaches of the Yangtze River with a tidal fluctuation twice a day. Max rise 2.1m; average rise 0.94m.
Max draft per terminal
| Terminal | Max draught | Max LOA | Berths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jurong TCC Cement | — | 180 m | 3 |
| Wellong Port | — | 228 m | 3 |
| Zhenjiang Lee Chang Yung General Chemical | — | 183 m | 1 |
| Jin Hai Hong Ye Terminal | — | 193 m | 2 |
| Mengjiagang Terminal | — | — | 4 |
| Zhenjiang Port Group Dagang Terminal | 13.90 m | 260 m | 12 |
| Zhenjiang Port Group Jingang Terminal | — | 300 m | 5 |
| Zhenjiang Port International Container Terminal (ZICT) | — | 200 m | 2 |
| Gold East Terminal | — | 213 m | 2 |
| Ganglong Petrochemical Terminal | — | 150 m | 5 |
| Chi Mei Terminal | 10.00 m | 127 m | 3 |
| Jian Bi Terminal | — | 151 m | 3 |
| Sopo Terminal | 6.40 m | 107 m | 3 |
| CCCC Second Harbor Third Engineering Dalu Branch | — | — | 3 |
| China Erzhong (Zhenjiang) Heavy Duty Machinery | — | 178 m | 1 |
All 36 terminals
| Terminal | Max draught | Max LOA | Berths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gangfa Dalu Terminal | — | — | 3 |
| Gaozi CR Power | — | 225 m | 2 |
| Guodian Jianbi Power Plant | — | 207 m | 3 |
| Helin Cement | — | 200 m | 1 |
| Huadian Jurong Power Sation | — | 225 m | 2 |
| Jiangsu Surun High-Carbon Co. Ltd. | — | 229 m | 1 |
| Longmen Delong Port | — | 101 m | 2 |
| Minghui New Material | — | — | 1 |
| Xianglong Terminal | — | — | 1 |
| Xinminzhou Terminal | — | 229 m | 7 |
| Xinyu International Terminal | — | — | 1 |
| Yangzhong Ganghang Building Materials | — | — | 1 |
| Yangzhong Luzhong Building Materials | — | — | 1 |
| Zhenjiang Huagang Logistics | — | — | 1 |
| Zhenjiang Shenghua Port | — | — | 4 |
| Zhenjiang Xinglong Terminal | — | 235 m | 4 |
| Zhongye Dongfeng Jiangsu Heavy Industry | — | — | 1 |
| Sinograin Zhenjiang Grain & Oil | — | 229 m | 5 |
| Jiangsu Runxiang Port | — | — | 1 |
| Jiangsu Yangzte Gonglu Bitumen Terminal | — | 169 m | 1 |
| Zhongrun Oil New Energy | — | — | 1 |
Deepest first. The draught is the largest any of the terminal's berths states; a dash means the source gives none.
Approach
updated Nov 2020Approach
The harbour is approached through a channel 0.4nm wide, between mudflats bordering the river bank E of the city, and swampy ground with a mudflat, 1.5nm wide, extending W from abreast the middle of a new town. There are several pontoon piers and hulks at the head of the harbour, and mariners may experience difficulty in going alongside them.
The draught limitation at the mouth of the river channel is 9.7m fresh water. The main fairway has a length of 20nm, and depth of 10.5-13.0m. Entry for vessels up to 10.5m draught is possible subject to approval.
New buoys are being laid along a section of the river known as the Taipingzhou Fast Lane. From 2014 the minimum maintenance water level guaranteed by the Yangtze Waterway Bureau will increase from 2.8m to 3.5m, allowing vessels of 3,000DWT to use this stretch of waterway all year round. The Yangtze trunkline splits into two in the Zhenjiang section: at Wufeng Mountain, the main stream goes northward while the other heads southward round Yangzhong Island until converging at Paozizhou. The 43.9km branch officially known as the Taipingzhou Fast Lane has been in its natural state until now. Once the new buoys are in place, major dredging will start to maintain the guaranteed water level of 3.5 metres.
Traffic schemes and VTS
The languages to be used for contact the VTS are Mandarin Chinese and English.
ZHENJIANG VTS: Is a sub-centre of Jiangsu VTS and consists of Zhenjiang VTS Centre and radar stations at Shiye Zhou, Zhengrun Zhou, Dasha and Fudewei.
Locally, a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is in operation in the area between a line joining Simashu Light Beacon (32°19.67'N 119°44.68'E) and the opposite bank (32°18.12'N 119°45.66'E approx) and the line joining Shi'er Wei Estuary (32°14.18'N 119°14.38'E) and Xinhekou Light Beacon (32°12.76'N 119°13.79'E). The area also includes the Yizheng and Taiping Zhou waterways.
Anchorages
The anchorage is 2,000m x 350m with depths of 4.0-8.0m, bottom of mud and sand.
Gaogang Anchorage is used for Quarantine and awaiting a Pilot (32°14'N 119°54'E) takes vessels up to 45,000DWT, 11m on sand and mud.
Restrictions
Entry or departure after sunset is not possible although some vessels may be permitted to enter port with a special Pilot.
Tugs
There are 10 tugs available.
Tug assistance is compulsory for vessel's berthing/shifting and sailing to these with LOA over 85m.
Charts and publications
BA 1621, 2946. Admiralty Pilot NP32, NP286(6).
Reporting before arrival
updated Aug 2010ETA 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, 7, 5, 3, 2 days, 24, 12 and 6 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 salt/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: Ch 16; 11, 23. Monitored throughout 24 hours.
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 Control and Ship Sanitation Control 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.
Inspections
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
Port services
updated Aug 2010Repairs
Available. Divers available.
Dry docks
No dry dock available.
Bunkers, water and stores
Fresh Water: Available alongside and by barge.
Bunkers: MGO, MDO and HFO available at berths and anchorage by barge.
Stores: Available.
Medical
Hospital and clinic available.
Crew change
Possible through Nanjing or Zhengjiang (visa obtained at Zhengjiang approx 1 day).
Transport
Nearest airports: Changzhou Airport (70km), Nanjing Airport (90km).
Working hours
The port works throughout 24 hours, on a 3 shift basis regardless of holidays and festivals. Shift 1; 0800-1600hrs, shift 2; 1600-2359hrs, shift 3; 0001-0800hrs.
About Zhenjiang
updated Nov 2025Where it is
Zhenjiang is located on the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, 279km from the sea.
The port
Main cargoes handled by the Port: Iron ore, phosphorite, coal coke, sodium sulphate, paper pulp, asphaltum, containers, chemicals, LPG and liquid facilities.
Traffic
Approx 290,000,000t of cargo and 400,000TEU handled annually.
Questions about Zhenjiang
Where does the pilot board at Zhenjiang?
The pilot boards at No.18甲镇江危险品锚地, 32°18.8′N 119°43.9′E. Zhenjiang has 3 pilot boarding places.
What time zone is Zhenjiang in?
Local time at Zhenjiang is UTC+8. No summer time.
What is the maximum draft at Zhenjiang?
The deepest berth listed is at Zhenjiang Port Group Dagang Terminal: 13.90 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.
What is the water density at Zhenjiang?
996-998.
Which load line zone is Zhenjiang in?
Summer.
Who carries out Port State Control at Zhenjiang?
Port State Control at Zhenjiang: Tokyo MOU.
What is the UN/LOCODE of Zhenjiang?
The UN/LOCODE of Zhenjiang is CNZHE.
Tips from seafarers
What crews who called at Zhenjiang 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.
A planning aid, not for navigation. These facts come from public sources and each section shows how old it is. Check with the port, your agent, your ENCs and official publications. Spotted something wrong? Tell us on the feedback board.