PORT of Tianjin's 300,000-tonne navigation channel has been finished and passed inspection, Xinhua reports.

The project is the widening and deepening of the previous 250,000-tonne navigation channel, costing CNY1.4 billion (US$221 million). The depth of the channel has gone from 19.5 to 21 metres, while the distance it covers has been extended from 44 to 45.5 kilometres.

Tianjin is the largest port in northern China. It recorded a container throughput of 11.5 million TEU and a throughput tonnage of 450 million tonnes last year, nine per cent more than in 2010, making it the fourth largest port in the world. It invested CNY13.5 billion on fixed assets last year.