A container terminal of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, located in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]

Ningbo Zhoushan Port celebrated the inauguration of its latest international shipping route on Jan 4 with the arrival of the vessel Zim Luanda at its Chuanshan port area.

This newly launched route connects several countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile, located across the Pacific Ocean from China. Operating on a weekly basis, the route will be serviced by a fleet of 10 international vessels with a capacity of 4,500 TEUs.

Anticipated to boost the export of various goods from Ningbo and neighboring cities, the route will facilitate the transportation of key items such as mechanical and electrical products, daily necessities, clothing, and footwear. This is expected to contribute to a monthly throughput of approximately 4,000 containers at Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

With the addition of this new route, the total number of container routes at Ningbo Zhoushan Port has topped 300, with more than 250 routes designated as international and 130 routes serving countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The port's punctuality rate has greatly improved courtesy of timely and efficient services provided by local customs authorities. This has fostered the healthy development of the entire freight transportation chain.

Statistical data from 2023 reveals that Ningbo Customs oversaw the supervision of over 24,700 international vessel movements. Through the implementation of intelligent quarantine clearance procedures, they successfully reduced the overall port waiting time by more than 2,200 hours.