Now Shenzhen | April 4, 2022
THE world’s largest container vessel, Ever Ace of Evergreen Marine Corp., loaded with made-in-China products, departed on its maiden voyage to Europe from Shenzhen’s Yantian Port on Wednesday.
As a super vessel with a capacity of 24,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), its deck is four times the size of a standard football pitch, and its containers can line up the distance between Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
In March, ocean freight thrived with a daily average of 132 ships calling at Shenzhen Port and 70,700 TEUs shipped worldwide, according to a press release from the city’s transport bureau Thursday.
The call of the world’s largest container ship at Shenzhen Port showed the city’s role in global logistics, the bureau said. As the world’s fourth-largest container port, Shenzhen Port operates routes to over 300 ports in over 100 countries and regions.
Shenzhen Port is also South China’s largest port for e-commerce trade.
“Speed is the lifeline of e-commerce trade. It only takes 12 days to ship from Shenzhen to Los Angeles, and the maritime route is the lifeline for enterprises,” said Wang Yali, vice president of Shenzhen Tomtop Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
“The implementation of the RCEP [Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership] agreement generates great impact on regional economic development and the layout of industrial and supply chains,” said Cen Qicheng, managing director of Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT). “YICT is utilizing its advantage as a world-level port hub and is playing a bigger role in forging connectivity of global industrial and supply chains.”
By the end of February, YICT had opened 107 shipping routes, including 61 to Europe and the U.S., according to official data.
Shenzhen Port showed strong resilience facing uncertainties amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thirty-five barges a day come and go between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, sending 4,000 TEUs of supplies and essentials to ensure Hong Kong people’s lives. The city’s foreign trade rose by 3.1% to 506.78 billion yuan (US$80 billion) in the first two months of the year, and its highly efficient and stable logistics system has helped guarantee the smooth flow of products in domestic and international markets.
In terms of rail freight, Shenzhen has operated 178 Sino-Europe freight trains since the first such train was put into service in August 2020. The trains have transported 105,000 tons of Shenzhen-made products to countries such as Germany, Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan and Laos, totaling US$725 million in trade volume.
During the new flight season between March and October, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport will operate about 850 cargo flights a week, nearly 20% more than the same period last year. Its cargo routes have reached 35 cities in five continents.
Article from: Shenzhen Daily