Tianjin Port opens new container route to Vietnam

On March 19, a container truck is transporting goods from Tianjin Port. (Photo/Xinhua)

Recently, a new container liner route has been launched from North China's Tianjin Municipality to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. It is the first new route along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that has been opened by the Tianjin Port Group this year. So far, Tianjin Port has developed 130 container shipping routes.

Located at the west end of Bohai Bay, Tianjin Port is a maritime gateway to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province, and the "Three North" (North, Northwest, Northeast) hinterland. Furthermore, it is the nearest port to Xiongan New Area, serving as an important intersection for the“Belt and Road”sea-rail combined transport network. To date, Tianjin Port has launched 46 container routes. Out of the 17.3 million container throughput of Tianjin Port in 2019, nearly 50% of the cargoes are from ports in countries and regions along the“Belt and Road”.

Meng Qingzhu, deputy director of the business department of Tianjin Port Co., Ltd., said that containers liner ships carrying goods along the newly opened shipping route are loaded with electronic products made in Tianjin, drugs from North China's Hebei Province, fertilizers from Shanxi and fruits from Vietnam.

After the Tianjin Port to Ho Chi Minh Port direct route shipping schedule has been altered from one cargo ship per week to two, the problem concerning insufficient direct shipping capacity has been solved, reducing the waiting time for goods preparing to be shipped at the port. "The enterprises can save up to two days of transportation time and cut logistic costs by 5%, which is beneficial for enterprises trying to resume work and production. " Meng said.

Tianjin Port currently has 32 container liner routes to Southeast Asia, with an annual container throughput of over 1.57 million. Tianjin Port Group has set up hundreds of outlets in the hinterland of China in order to open up sea-rail combined transport networks so that goods can be exported in a more efficient manner.

On March 10, 240 Japanese cars were loaded on a train at Tianjin Port and shipped to Mongolia; on March 11, the first batch of 582 foreign trade Great Wall vehicles was shipped to South America after the Spring Festival; on March 15, the major components of the 495th and 496th Airbus A320 aircraft landed at Tianjin Port. In order to ease disruptions caused by the COVID-19 situation, Tianjin Port Group is putting great efforts into maintaining efficient transportation of goods from the port. This not only helps the resumption of work and production, but also ensures smooth operation in the international industrial and supply chain. (Compiled by Zhang Xinfeng)