Zhou Naixiang, governor of Shandong, delivers government work report during the first session of the 14th Shandong Province People's Congress in Jinan, the provincial capital, on Jan 13. [Photo/Dazhong Daily]

East China's Shandong province will speed up construction of world-class sea ports, a well-established modern maritime industry system, and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment in an effort to become a maritime power, said local officials.

According to the provincial government work report delivered during the first session of the 14th Shandong Provincial People's Congress, in 2023 Shandong will build a world-class port cluster on the Shandong Peninsula, complete the construction of phase III of an automated terminal of Qianwan port area of Qingdao Port and phase II of the 300,000-metric-ton crude oil terminal of the Yantai Port western area, and expand the port's overseas shipping routes.

The throughput volume of Shandong's coastal ports ranked second in China in 2021, and reached 1.75 billion tons in 2022, ranking first in China. Meanwhile, the volume of containers exceeded 37 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, ranking third in the world.

Shandong is an economic powerhouse along China's east coast. The jump in the ranking of coastal port throughput shows how active the trading port of Shandong is, as well as the vitality and resilience of the Shandong economy, said industry experts.

Uploaded containers are seen at Qingdao Port in Shandong province on Jan 9, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

The province's foreign trade volume exceeded three trillion yuan ($448.2 billion) in 2022, and its actual utilization of foreign investment nearly doubled the 2021 figure.

As an international shipping hub in Northeast Asia, Qingdao Port in Shandong added 28 container routes in 2022, with a year-on-year increase of 10 percent in international transshipment. The volume of sea-rail combined transport exceeded 1.9 million TEUs, ranking first among ports in China for the eighth consecutive year.

Huo Gaoyuan, deputy to the Shandong Provincial People's Congress and chairman of Shandong Port Group, said that Shandong Port Group will cultivate a modern comprehensive shipping service system and accelerate the construction of a Northeast Asia international shipping hub center.