With the COVID-19 outbreak, balancing pandemic control and production growth becomes a challenge for Shandong Port Group (SPG), which was established just last year.

SPG has seen increases in both cargo and container throughputs during the first quarter of 2019. Cargo throughput totaled 340 million metric tons, a year-on-year growth of 5.1 percent, while container throughput reached 7.14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), up 4 percent year-on-year.

Huo Gaoyuan, SPG's chairman attributed the increases to integration efforts and effective strategies.

Huo said that SPG will ride the momentum to build top-notch logistics hubs, finance and trade ports, ports for industry-city growth, cruise ports for culture and tourism, and smart and green ports. He said he aims to turn SPG into a world-renowned port conglomerate.

SPG was established in August 2019. It integrates major facilities in Shandong province and involves four port groups and seven cities. The port groups in Qingdao, Rizhao, Yantai and Bohai Bay have been strengthened through cooperation.

Through group management, integrated operation and coordinated development, the group devotes itself to realize the unified management of port planning, management services and resource development, creating new strengths and breaking new ground.

Over the past six months in 2020, SPG has opened seven feeder shipping routes, 15 international land ports and railway logistics parks, nine container sea-rail combined transport routes, and three cross-border freight train routes.

A new business model is another driver behind the recent growth. While maintaining its primary business, SPG is also actively expanding value-added services such as trading, logistics, shipping and finance in an effort to break new ground.

A total of 166,000 tons of bonded crude oil has been blended, 226,000 tons of international crude oil has been transferred, and 650,000 tons of crude oil has been successfully supplied for bonded ships.

Furthermore, SPG has launched a pledge financing business and cooperated with those involved in inland ports and sea-rail combined transport to improve the overall logistical layout.