The 2024 Shandong Port Group seminar on high-quality container development starts in Shanghai, bringing together leaders from related fields. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 Shandong Port Group (SPG) seminar on high-quality container development kicked off in Shanghai on March 19.

The event, with the slogan "building an efficient and unimpeded supply chain platform, reducing costs and improving quality and efficiency of a new era", is designed to deepen friendships with shipping companies, facilitate discussions on collaboration and bolster high-quality container growth.

During the event, representatives of shipping lines delivered their speeches, including deputy general manager of COSCO SHIPPING Chen Shuai, director of Maersk Asia-Pacific Ocean Customer Logistics Henry He, CMA CGM CEO Adeline Franger Chouraqui, director of procurement department of ONE China Xie Zhanjun, SITC Executive Director & CEO Xue Mingyuan, and Zhonggu General Manager Li Yonghua. They shared insights on seizing new opportunities presented by container transport and building efficient and unimpeded supply chain platforms, while giving suggestions on reducing costs, improving efficiency and enhancing service quality, conveying their confidence in SPG's high-quality development and expectations for closer partnership.

The event included the launch of a cooperation initiative related to the integrated supply chain service system by SPG. In addition, the SPG container operation center promoted SPG's development measures in integrated container development and introduced future collaboration, vowing to create a better business environment for shipping lines to grow in Shandong's ports. A memorandum of understanding on deepening overall collaboration on "the new three" was signed between SPG Qingdao Port, SPG Logistics Group, SPG Shipping Group, COSCO SHIPPING, Maersk, CMA CGM, MSC, Evergreen, ONE and SITC, with a bid to advance the development of new quality productive forces and create competitive edges.

Over the years, SPG has worked together and achieved win-win cooperation with shipping lines, with cooperation continuously being strengthened. Over the past year, SPG has joined hands with shipping lines to expand its shipping network, forge international transit channels and build an empty container repositioning center in northern China. A total of 32 container services were launched throughout 2023 at SPG, including 27 foreign trade services, and the international transshipment volume increased by 14 percent year-on-year. This has helped SPG play an active role in smoothing logistics chains and stabilizing supply chains. 

Efforts were also made to build a new logistics corridor featuring higher efficiency, better service and quality and lower costs. The year 2023 saw the launch of nine inland ports and nine intermodal train services, with the intermodal volume reaching 3.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units, up 20 percent year-on-year.

The seminar enables SPG to build a better port, strengthen shipping cooperation, and make greater contributions to the national strategies of building a strong maritime country, a country with a strong transportation network, and protecting the Yellow River.

The event includes the launch of a cooperation initiative related to the integrated supply chain service system by SPG. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]