Silk Road Maritime supports high-quality development of BRI
The 20 millionth TUE of "Silk Road Maritime" named routes. [Photo/Xiamen Port]
The 20 millionth TUE of "Silk Road Maritime" named routes was recently loaded onto the Portuguese-flagged container ship ESL WAFA at Xiamen Port's Hairun Terminal. This milestone indicates that the "Silk Road Maritime" service has entered a new phase of high-quality development in supporting the Belt and Road Initiative.
The ESL WAFA is operating on the Asia-Middle East route, making stops at key Belt and Road ports such as Dubai, Dammam, and Bahrain. Cargo from member ports of the Silk Road Maritime Alliance like Qingdao, Xiamen, and Shenzhen can reach the Persian Gulf region, over 5,000 nautical miles away, in just around 15 days.
The route demonstrates the deep integration of ports, shipping, and trade along the "Silk Road Maritime" corridor.
The "Silk Road Maritime" named routes offer higher service standards and better customer experiences.
To date, 12 major global ports, including Tianjin, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, and Piraeus, along with dozens of domestic and international shipping companies such as COSCO Shipping, SITC, and MSC, have participated in naming these routes. Statistics show that 132 "Silk Road Maritime" named routes now connect to 145 ports in 46 countries and regions.
Why Xiamen
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Xiamen is one of the most economically competitive cities in China and was one of the first Special Economic Zones on the Chinese mainland. As a vice-provincial city independently listed on the State development plan, it has provincial-level authority in economic administration and local legislative power. In 2010, the Xiamen SEZ was expanded to cover the entire municipality. Today, Xiamen is a modern and international port city.