A carrier loaded with 21,000 metric tons of construction machinery departed from Yantai Port, operated by Shandong Port Group (SPG), on July 19, bound for Africa's Djibouti. This marks the official launch of the Yantai–Djibouti break-bulk service, bringing the total number of Yantai Port's international break-bulk services to 36.

Situated at the Horn of Africa and the west coast of the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti controls access to the Bab El-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, acting as a pivotal maritime chokepoint for trade exchanges among Asia, Africa and Europe. About one-third of global seaborne trade transits through here, with around 20,000 ships passing annually.

As a major break-bulk logistics hub in northern China and the country's busiest port for trade with Africa, Yantai Port is strengthening its role as a key departure point along the China–Africa logistics corridor. By integrating multimodal transport, ocean shipping, cargo consolidation and distribution, customs inspection and clearance, and overseas delivery, the port has built an end-to-end supply chain linking domestic cargo networks, international shipping routes, and transit services through Djibouti. This has led to the official launch of the Yantai–Djibouti break-bulk service, cutting comprehensive logistics costs by 30 percent.

As trade between China and Africa continues to grow, Yantai Port has developed two-way shipping routes that import bauxite from Africa and carry break-bulk exports on the return journey. The network now serves more than 20 African countries, including Guinea, Tanzania and Nigeria. In the first half of the year, the number of Africa-bound break-bulk liner sailings rose 66.1 percent year on year, reinforcing Yantai's role as a key maritime gateway for China-Africa trade.

Construction machinery is loaded onto a vessel at Yantai Port for shipment to Djibouti. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]