With the arrival on July 13 of the container ship Nyx at the Qingdao Port of  Shandong Port Group – in Shandong province - one more shipping route from SPG to the Middle East was opened. The route was the 32nd newly opened route and also the 16th international route that SPG launched since the start of the year. To date, the number of SPG's shipping routes has risen to 299, ranking first among China's northern ports.

How did SPG manage to forge ahead, despite the headwinds created from the novel coronavirus outbreak, when positive growth was hard to come by during the first half of this year? Company chairman Huo Gaoyuan gave the answer: "SPG has been stepping up its efforts to promote its integration reforms, to actively serve the national strategies and seize the opportunities presented by the central authorities".

On March 21, the NCX2 service for the CMA CGM and TS Line made its debut at Qingdao Port, which kicked off the launch of new international routes at Shandong ports this year. On April 7, the first direct route of THE Alliance to the Middle East was opened at Qingdao Port. All these efforts have demonstrated SPG's resolution to guarantee unimpeded global supply and logistics chains with port partners and shipping companies.

Cargo sources are powerful drivers for introducing new routes. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, SPG has grasped the new transition and trends in global consumption evolving from producer-controlled to consumer-controlled, from production-driven to consumption-driven, as part of its efforts to satisfy the rising consumer demand in hinterland areas.

Two direct cold chain services, from SITC and Maersk, that link SPG and Southeast Asia were launched in less than one month. Meanwhile, several routes designed to transport living materials were opened, such as the Qingdao Port-Zarubino Port-Hunchun Port shipping route for the cross-border transport of domestic goods.

On April 26, the world's largest container vessel, the HMM Algeciras -- with a carrying capacity of 24,000 TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units -- made its maiden voyage from Qingdao Port.

Taking several key factors into consideration – such as the density of shipping routes and hinterland sources – the HMM Algeciras chose Qingdao Port operated by SPG to start its maiden voyage. "We choose SPG to make the maiden voyage of the world's largest container ship because we are confident in China's economy, in the Belt and Road Initiative and in the Shandong market, as well as in SPG's quality services and powerful support,”said Lee Joo Myung, chairman of Hyundai Merchant Marine (China) Co Ltd. “We will strengthen our all-round cooperation with SPG to jointly build an important platform for countries along the BRI," Lee added.