The Hualien Harbor Bureau (Chinese), the port authority for Hualien Port, was established in 1963 when Hualien Port was opened to international traffic. The Hualien Harbor Bureau works to promote the growth of the shipping business through infrastructure and facility improvements and administrative efficiencies while also controlling pollution. Today, the Hualien Port is developing a waterfront recreation area in Hualien Port to support increased tourism and provide more recreational opportunities to the city's residents.

In the decades since becoming an international port, Hualien Port has undergone four major expansions, growing from three to 25 berths with capacity to handle 34 million tons of cargo each year. Hualien Port has six warehouses (covering almost 33 thousand square meters with capacity for 81.5 thousand tons of cargo) and 38 storage yards covering more than 350 thousand square meters with capacity for over 519 thousand tons of cargo.

In 2008, Hualien Port welcomed 2236 incoming vessels. Of that total, 1444 were ordinary cargo vessels, 646 were bulk carriers, 40 were tankers, and three were passenger vessels. Hualien Port handled more than 17.4 million metric tons of cargo in 2008. Hualien Port imported 2.9 million metric tons, including 892.3 thousand metric tons of non-metallic minerals, 826 thousand metric tons of forestry products, 630.4 thousand metric tons of non-metallic mineral products, and 375.7 thousand metric tons of chemical products. Hualien Port handled over 13.9 million metric tons of exports, including 8.6 million metric tons of non-metallic minerals and 5.3 million metric tons of non-metallic minerals.

Hualien Port is located in the northeastern area of Hualien City. Hualien Port covers 172 hectares of land surface and over 136 hectares of water surface. Hualien Port's eastern breakwater is over four thousand meters long, and includes 917 meters for the fishing port. Hualien Port's western breakwater is over one thousand meters. The access channel to Hualien Port is 240 meters wide and from 16.4 to 19.6 meters deep. The outer port turning basin has a diameter of 700 meters and a depth from 14 to 15 meters. The inner port navigation channel is 1120 meters long, and the inner port turning basin has a diameter of 200 meters and depth of 10.5 meters.

Hualien Port contains 25 wharves with a total length of 4742 meters. There are 16 wharves in the inner port and nine wharves in the outer port. General goods are handled at 13 of the wharves, while gravel and minerals are handled at six wharves. Four wharves handle cement, and one wharf handles coal. Three non-service wharves in Hualien Port handle public affairs ships, guard ships, and support vessels. The inner port contains 15 warehouses, two 8-thousand ton capacity cement silos, and a clinker silo. The outer port has two five-thousand ton capacity cement silos. Hualien Port has 38 stacking yards overall that provide storage for minerals and gravel.

The inner harbor wharves at Hualien Port are a total of 2455 meters long and handle cement, general goods, gravel, minerals, and passengers. There are also multi-functional wharves and non-cargo-handling wharves in the inner harbor. Hualien Port's Wharves 8, 10, and 13 handle cement and are a total of 587 meters in length with alongside depth of 9.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 9.1 meters. Wharf 8 can accommodate vessels to 15 thousand DWT, while Wharves 10 and 13 can accommodate vessels to 12 thousand DWT.

Also in Hualien Port's inner harbor, Wharf 14 handles general goods and can accommodate vessels to 12 thousand DWT. The wharf is 200 meters long with alongside depth of 9.5 meters and permissible maximum draft of 9.1 meters. Handling general goods and gravel, Wharf 7 is 120 meters long with alongside depth of 6.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 6 meters. Wharf 7 can accommodate ships to four thousand DWT.

Hualien Port's Wharves 5 and 6, are a total of 310 meters long with alongside depth of 8.5 meters and permissible maximum draft of 8 meters, and they can accommodate vessels to 10 thousand DWT. Minerals are handled at Wharf 11, which is 185 meters long with alongside depth of 9.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 9.1 meters, and which can accommodate vessels to 12 thousand DWT. Wharf 4 can accommodate vessels to 10 thousand DWT carrying general goods and oil. Wharf 4 is 160 meters long with alongside depth of 8.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 8 meters.

Wharves 15 and 16 in Hualien Port's inner harbor serve passengers. They are a total of 230 meters long and can accommodate vessels to six thousand DWT. Wharf 15 is 86 meters long with alongside depth of 8.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 8 meters, while Wharf 16 is 144 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 7 meters.

Hualien Port's multi-functional Wharves 1-3 are a total of 410 meters long with alongside depth of 7.5 meters and maximum permissible draft of 7 meters. Each wharf can accommodate vessels of six thousand DWT. Wharves 9 and 12 are non-operations wharves.

The nine wharves in the outer harbor of Hualien Port are a total of 2287 meters long and handle cement, general goods, sand and gravel, and oil. There is also a multi-functional wharf in the outer harbor. Hualien Port's Wharf 19 handles general goods and oil. It is 310 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters, and it can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand DWT with maximum draft of 13 meters.

Handling cement, Hualien Port's Wharf 18 is 200 meters long with alongside depth of 12 meters, and it can accommodate vessels to 30 thousand DWT with maximum draft of 10.5 meters. Handling general goods, Wharves 24 and 25 in Hualien Port are a total of 603 meters long with alongside depths from 13 to 14.5 meters, and they can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand DWT with maximum drafts of 13 and 14.5 meters.

Wharves 17 and 20-22 in Hualien Port handle sand and gravel. Wharf 17 is 200 meters long with alongside depth of 12 meters, and it can accommodate vessels to 30 thousand DWT with maximum draft of 10.5 meters. Wharves 20, 21, and 22 are a total of 702 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters, and they can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand DWT with maximum draft of 13 meters. Hualien Port's Wharf 23, at 272 meters long with alongside depth of 14 meters, is a multi-functional wharf that can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand DWT with maximum draft of 13 meters.

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