SOUTH China's Haikou port has started to build passenger-ro-ro terminal capable of handling other cargo, designed to enhance capacity to meet expected demand after next year, reports Xinhua.

The new terminal lies in the north of south station of the Guangdong-Hainan Oversea Railway in the Xinhai port area, the nearest place in the island province of Hainan to the mainland 12 nautical miles away.

The CNY2.4 billion (US$380 million) facility will be built in two phases. Its first phase costs CNY1.8 billion and will open in 2013. It will be equipped with 18 berths of 3,000 to 10,000-tonne capacity with an capability of handling 3.1 million cars and 20 million passengers a year.