Liangshan Port in Jining, Shandong province has set a long voyage record after 96 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of fertilizers were transported to Fuqing Port in Fujian province after traversing the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Yangtze River, and the East China Sea.

"This voyage covers more than 2,000 kilometers, setting a long voyage record for Liangshan Port, and the cost is 30 percent less than road transportation," said a manager from the logistic company.

Liangshan Port is located at the intersection of the Watang-Rizhao Railway and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which was mainly used for transporting coal in the past.

Currently, flour produced in Heze, industrial salt produced in Tai'an, fertilizers produced in Jining, and other locally produced products, can be transported via the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River to coastal cities, which can greatly boost regional development and save logistic fees, said local officials.

In 2021, Jining Port, consisting of 42 ports including Liangshan Port and Yuejin Port, became the province's largest inland waterway shipping port with the largest throughput.

From January to October this year, Jining Port handled 48.07 million metric tons of cargo, up 25.9 percent year-on-year.

The rapid development of Jining Port has boosted inland waterway navigation in Shandong and contributed to the coordinated port-industry-city development in Jining.