The container ship Yuandafanrong, operated by China Master Logistics Co Ltd and loaded with 9,000 tons of cargo, made a very important maiden voyage on Aug 17 from Shandong Port Group's Rizhao Port – in the coastal city of Rizhao in East China's Shandong province – an SPG spokesman said.

This marked the establishment of a new feeder route – Qingdao-Rizhao-Lanshan – which has brought more freight capacity to its maritime services, considered to be another remarkable result of SPG's integration reforms.

Since the launch of two feeder routes - namely, the Rizhao-Qingdao and the Lanshan-Qingdao routes in Sept 2019 - Rizhao Port has been stepping up its efforts to provide high-quality services.

It has deepened its engagement with Qingdao Port, accelerated the construction of container yards and support facilities and cooperated with Rizhao Customs to make the customs clearance more efficient.

Additionally, a 24-hour service has been rolled out and new market trends have been picked up.

They said that all these efforts have resulted in the exploitation of increasing cargo resources, such as imported timber and iron ore. The port has also witnessed an increasing number of containers being transported via feeder routes, demonstrating the success of its efforts to facilitate its development.

Moving forwards, Rizhao Port is expected to continue to grow with its expanding shipping routes and coordinate with other port groups for the establishment of new development pattern for opening-up featuring east-west connection, and land-sea linkage.