SE CHINA’S coastal city of Xiamen is planning a subsea pipeline to transport refined oil from the mainland to Xiamen Island. The city’s economic development bureau says that the line is currently under construction and will be complete by the end of 2008 in order to provide Xiamen, comprised of a number of islands, with a more secure supply route for refined oil from mainland.
At present, Xiamen Island receives 80% of its oil by sea, while the balance is supplied by land-based routes.
Shipping costs less and carries more than land transportation, but it is vulnerable to the typhoons to which Xiamen is susceptible during the summer.