Shekou Port is situated on the eastern shore of the Pearl River Estuary, at the southern tip of the Nantou Peninsula in the western part of Shenzhen. It lies to the east of Shenzhen Bay, with Hong Kong directly across the sea to the south. To the west, it is in close proximity to Zhuhai, Macao, and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. To the north, it connects with the inland areas of Nanshan District. In September 1981, Shekou Port was approved by the State Council to open to foreign vessels, becoming the first national Class 1 port in China to be independently funded, managed, and operated by an enterprise during the early stages of China’s reform and opening-up. Currently, Shekou Port consists of three externally open port zones: Shekou Cargo Port Zone, Shekou Cruise Homeport Zone, and Mazhou Island Yiu Lian Dockyards Zone.
The Shekou Container Terminal Zone has 10 berths. The first phase of the project involved the construction of 2 specialized container berths, with an annual designed throughput capacity of 1 million TEUs, which were completed and put into operation in August 1991. The second and third phases of the Shekou Container Terminal project began construction in 2001. These phases added 8 specialized container berths in total. The second phase, consisting of 2 berths, was completed and put into use in 2003, while the third phase, with 6 berths, was completed and operational by March 2010.
The Shekou Cruise Homeport Zone covers an area of 42,600 square meters, with a total construction area of 136,000 square meters. It is designed to handle an annual clearance capacity of 6.5 million passengers. The port primarily operates international cruise services, passenger transport to Hong Kong and Macao, and maritime tourism activities. In October 2016, after passing inspection, it was officially opened to the public. The Shekou Cruise Homeport Zone is equipped with one 220,000 GT cruise berth, one 120,000 GT cruise berth, 11 berths for 800 GT ferries, one 20,000 GT roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) passenger and cargo berth, and one 2,000 GT passenger ferry berth. It offers comprehensive berthing support services, establishing itself as one of the leading facilities in the country. In July 2022, the pilot project for the International Passenger Transfer Zone under the Comprehensive Authorization Reform Initiative passed inspection, making Shekou Cruise Homeport the first domestic seaport passenger terminal to offer international transit capabilities. On January 4, 2024, the State Council officially approved the expansion of Shekou Port to include cross-border helicopter entry and exit services.