A fuel depot with a storage capacity of 945,000 cubic meters, the largest of its kind in China, is now operating at Zhanjiang Port in south China's Guangdong Province. The depot belongs to the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

Construction of the project has been divided into two phases. The first phase, started in 2002 and completed at the end of March this year, covers 38 hectares and cost 520 million yuan (US$62 million). The depot has 15 fuel tanks.

The second phase, construction of which will start sometime this year, will contain three fuel tanks, each with a storage capacity of 100,000 cubic meters.

Upon completion of the entire project, the depot in Zhanjiang will be capable of storing 1.2 million cubic meters of fuel.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2004)