Construction of the fifth phase of the Nansha port area at Guangzhou Port, one of the major national projects, commenced in Nansha district of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, on Friday.

The project is designed with an annual container throughput capacity of 6.7 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), according to the Guangzhou Port Group.

Once completed, its container throughput will reach 35 million TEUs, placing it among leading single port areas in the world and further enhancing Guangzhou's status as an international shipping hub.

The project is located at the southern end of Longxue Island in Nansha district and situated in the geometric center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

With an estimated investment of approximately 14.45 billion yuan ($2.12 billion), the project will include four 200,000-ton container berths, 15 berths for 5,000-ton container barges and five berths for working vessels.