As of 8:00 pm on Nov 27, Shandong Port Group (SPG) handled a total container throughput of 34.14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which is 34 days earlier than the yearly total recorded in 2021.

With a challenging environment arising from the combined forces of changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century and the unstable global container market since the beginning of this year, SPG has taken measures to ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains and promote global economic recovery as its main objective. It has proactively coped with the changing environment, built a strong line of defense against the COVID-19 virus and steadily developed its container business. All these efforts have contributed to SPG's new record in container volume.

SPG has created strong development synergy throughout the year as it has continuously deepened port integration reform. Qingdao Port has leveraged its role as a hub port to expand international routes. Rizhao Port, Yantai Port and Bohai Bay Port have served as feeder ports for Qingdao Port's container development. A number of feeder services were opened to create an SPG four-port-subsidiary mini circle. Additionally, its four port groups and 12 business segments have advanced deep cooperation with traditional businesses and emerging businesses, such as logistics, shipping, finance and trade, with a plan to create a more dynamic ecosystem for SPG's container development.

SPG has built international multimodal channels that run eastward to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other Asia-Pacific regions, westward to Central Asia and Europe, southward to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and South Asia, and northward to Mongolia and Russia. The company has also opened more shipping routes and expanded its shipping capacity, with 35 new shipping routes being launched this year, and efforts have been made to launch freight lines and build inland ports. It has launched 81 sea-rail combined transport routes in and out of Shandong and has built 31 inland ports. In the first 10 months of this year, its sea-rail combined transportation capacity surpassed 2.51 million TEUs, up 18 percent year-on-year.

As China's first pilot unit for smart port construction, SPG has continued to advance scientific and technological innovation to promote smart port development and speed up the growth of the container business by using its scientific and technological strength. The Qingdao Port fully automated container terminal was the first of its kind to introduce "hydrogen-powered + 5G technology" and the air-track intelligent collecting and distribution system. It has also independently developed the A-TOS system (the fully automated container terminal intelligent operating system). The terminal's average efficiency for a single crane has reached 60.18 moves per hour, and the highest record has hit 67.76 moves per hour, breaking the world record for the ninth time. Furthermore, Rizhao Port has launched the first open and parallel-type fully-automated container across the world.

SPG plans to bolster the rapid growth of the container business and accomplish its this year's development targets with the help of deep port integration. It will continue to augment its comprehensive international trading strength and improve its economic circulation capability to serve the new development paradigm and integrate smoothly into the unified domestic market.

SPG creates strong development synergy throughout the year as it has continuously deepened port integration reform. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]