CCTV's Morning News report on Aug 29 focused on Shandong Port Group (SPG)'s commercial vehicle business and highlighted Shandong province's first sea-rail intermodal freight train that transported over 5,000 commercial vehicles via Yantai Port, indicating that the port is transforming into a logistics hub port for commercial vehicles in northern China.

Since SPG's port integration reform in 2019, Yantai Port has relied on SPG's international logistics channel eastward to Japan and South Korea, and westward to Eurasian countries, and seized opportunities presented by the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. Furthermore, it has worked together with the Yantai Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and continues to promote the international transshipment of commercial vehicles and sea-rail intermodal transportation.

Data from port officials shows that Yantai Port handled a total of 66 international ro-ro carriers carrying 66,600 commercial vehicles, and witnessed the departure of 10 sea-rail intermodal freight trains transporting 2,320 vehicles from January to August this year. The company's international transshipment volume rose by 69 percent from the previous year, which surpassed the total volume in 2021, ranking at the forefront of national ports. This has offered high-quality and highly efficient integrated services for countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to improve the configuration of industrial and supply chains.

As SPG's commercial vehicles logistics base, as well as a logistics hub port for commercial vehicles in northern China, Yantai Port's exported goods categories include over 40 brands of over 130 vehicle types, including sedans, light trucks, heavy trucks, passenger cars and MAFI. By taking advantage of its mature commercial vehicle transport system, full-fledged supporting facilities and diversified value-added services, the company has been stepping up efforts to advance the deep integration of the port service chain with the supply, industrial, innovation and value chains of commercial vehicles.