[2] The port comprises twelve areas including Heping, Dongdu, Haitian, Shihushan, Gaoqi, and Liuwudian[better source needed] (in Tong'an District).

[5] The port is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to Singapore, towards the southern tip of India to Mombasa, from there through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub of Trieste with its connections to Central Europe and the North Sea.

[3] The coast line in the harbor area stretches for 30 kilometres (19 mi), and the depth of water reaches up to 17 metres (56 ft).

Starting December 2015, Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation and Communications opened the channel between Dadan Island and Menghu Islet (both are ROC-controlled) as a shortcut for ships using the Liuwudian, Xiang'an area of the Xiamen Port.

[8][9][10] Xiamen is the first mainland port to start the direct shipment of cargo to Kaohsiung in Taiwan.