The Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal, the largest ro-ro port in China, handled a record single-day throughput of 12,065 vehicles last Monday, in the busiest and hottest period of the year.
Berthing four to six ro-ro vessels for the export of domestically built vehicles a day, the port currently handles an average of more than 5,000 vehicles daily.
Drivers operating the large quantity of unshaded vehicles onto ships have to endure the intense weather conditions.
"We cannot open the windows, and the temperatures inside the cabin are very high. The seats are exposed to the sun all day long, so they are really burning to sit on," said Mr. Guan, a driver.
Workers at the terminal are working on rotating shifts to ensure continuous operations, and in extreme peak days, the port would draw supporting hands from other terminals.
The terminal has also taken measures to prevent the workers from heatstroke.
"As it's hot both in the cabins and the yards, we have deployed shuttle pickups to constantly supply salted soda and cold drinks as part of our efforts to prevent heatstroke and keep workers cool. We have adjusted outdoor work schedules to avoid the midday peak heat and flexibly increased hands on shifts in cooler morning and evening hours," said Li Shengyang, the terminal's duty dispatcher.
As China's exports of domestically made vehicles continue to grow, the terminal has sent out more than one million vehicles annually for three consecutive years.
China’s largest ro-ro port handles record throughput
China’s largest ro-ro port handles record throughput
International guests who have dedicated their lives to historical truth joined China's 12th national memorial event honoring the hundreds of thousands of victims killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.
The memorial was held on Saturday at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in the presence the crowd that included survivors of the massacre, local students, and international guests.
In one of the most barbaric episodes during WWII, the Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
Joining the crowd was Christoph Reinhardt, the great-grandson of John Rabe (1882-1950) who was then a representative of German conglomerate Siemens in the war-ravaged Nanjing. During the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up an international safety zone with other foreigners, and they together saved the lives of around 250,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938 from the Japanese invaders.
Throughout the massacre, Rabe continued to keep a diary. To this day, all his pages remain one of the most comprehensive historical records of the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors.
Sayoko Yamauchi, who was also in the crowd of mourners, arrived in Nanjing on Friday from Japan's Osaka to attend Saturday's ceremony, just as she has done almost every year since China designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 2014.
Yamauchi's grandfather was one of the Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanjing in January 1938. However, since first setting foot in Nanjing in 1987, she has dedicated herself to uncovering and spreading the truth about Japan's history of aggression and enlightening the Japanese public about their country's wartime atrocities.
In 2014, ahead of China's first National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Yamauchi, along with 10 other individuals, received an award for her special contribution to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
By attending the grand memorial event, Reinhardt and Yamauchi both said they hope to convey a message of remembering history and cherishing peace.
"This is my fifth visit to China, and Nanjing, and the third times I visited the ceremony. I have a wish that these survivors survive again and again and again. But my other wish is that the families of the survivors, that they transport the information, the right intention like their ancestors, because anyone must hold a hand (during) this remembering," Reinhardt told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview before the event began on Saturday.
"Our delegation is on its 20th visit to China, coming to Nanjing to express our heartfelt condolences to those who perished 88 years ago, to remember this history, and to reflect on what we can do for a new future. That's why we are here," Yamauchi told CCTV on board the bus that took her to a local hotel in Nanjing on Friday evening.
Int'l guests call for remembering history at China's national event honoring Nanjing Massacre victims
