Recently, the Jinhaixin ship, loaded with more than 20 types of goods including coiled steel fertilizers, engineering vehicles, and equipment, totaling over 50000 tons, successfully set sail from Weifang Port in Shandong Province and headed to African ports. This marks the official opening of Weifang Port's first African miscellaneous shipping route, filling the gap in direct African miscellaneous shipping services, building a new maritime logistics channel for industrial enterprises in the city to export to Africa, and adding an efficient and convenient maritime logistics path for China Africa economic and trade exchanges.

New routes and channels depart once a month

Against the backdrop of continued deepening of economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa, as well as the warming of the African infrastructure market, there is a strong demand for imported building materials and construction machinery in South Africa and North Africa. Weifang Port is deeply cultivating the hinterland market and actively transforming its logistics advantages into supply chain advantages for manufacturing to go global. The African miscellaneous shipping routes, with Weifang Port as the hub, implement a liner operation mode, reaching one flight per month, connecting the hinterland of Weifang Port with overseas markets, allowing engineering machinery, building materials and other products to directly reach the African market, and helping Chinese manufacturing set sail overseas. The opening of the new route not only provides local enterprises in Weifang with shorter transportation cycles and lower logistics costs, but also attracts goods from surrounding areas to gather at Weifang Port, further enhancing the port's hub position in regional opening-up. Keywords: the Belt and Road news network, connectivity, ports, trade

Upgrading the ability to improve efficiency through optimized processes

Relying on the construction of zero carbon ports and smart ports, Weifang Port further improves quality and efficiency, continuously optimizes loading and unloading processes, enhances voyage loading efficiency, and fully unleashes the comprehensive service capabilities of yard, loading and unloading, and warehousing integration. In response to the diverse types and specifications of exported goods, the port has developed a special operation plan in advance, coordinating mechanical, human, and site resources to ensure efficient loading and safe departure of goods. Weifang Port, taking the opening of its first African general cargo route as an opportunity, continues to improve its multimodal transportation collection and distribution system, enhance the level of customs clearance convenience at the port, provide stable and reliable logistics support for more Chinese manufacturing to enter the African market, and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the region's outward oriented economy.Editor/Gao Xue