A shipping seminar for SPG's 2021 shipping business is held in Qingdao on March 2. [Photo/WeChat account: Shandong-Port]

Shandong Port Group, or SPG -- one of the world's biggest operators of ports -- on March 2 held the Shandong Port Group Port and Shipping Seminar for the New Spring of 2021 in Qingdao city in East China's Shandong province.

Li Fengli, deputy Party secretary and general manager of SPG, chaired the meeting and gave a briefing on the development of the group since 2020.

The seminar attracted the participation of 16 leading global shipping companies to discuss new measures for the development of international ports and shipping cooperation, as well as the development of the global logistics supply chain.

At the conference, SPG Chairman Huo Gaoyuan expressed his gratitude to partner shipping companies for their support of SPG, listened to the suggestions and opinions of the shipping groups and discussed with them new developments in 2021.

Huo said SPG plans to team up with shipping business partners to serve key national strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative -- to leverage their respective strengths and to step up the implementation of port-related joint projects.

Last year, SPG's cargo throughput topped 1.4 billion tons, with year-on-year growth of 7.5 percent, an annual freight volume growth that ranked it first in the world.

Its container throughput exceeded 30 million twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs, up 6.5 percent year-on-year, the third highest in the world and the second highest in China.

The representatives of the 16 shipping companies who participated in the event expressed their willingness to join hands with SPG to overcome challenges being faced by the shipping sector and they also expressed their gratitude for SPG's full trust in them, as well as its full support.

SPG and the partner shipping companies also reached a consensus on their strong desire to work together in the current year, to further strengthen their cooperation and strive for more routes to affiliated ports in Shandong.

List of 16 participating global shipping companies