Ningbo-Zhoushan Port strengthens Middle East shipping links

Xin Hui Zhou docks at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. [Photo/The official news website of Zhoushan]

A new direct shipping route linking Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province with Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, began operations on Aug 1, reducing transit time to about 21 days.

The first vessel on the COSCO RES4 service, Xin Hui Zhou, departed from the port's Jintang container terminal carrying 986 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, including forklifts, electric scooters, and electric bicycles.

The route will operate five vessels weekly, increasing monthly throughput by nearly 4,000 TEUs. Launched by COSCO Shipping, this direct service links major Chinese ports to Saudi Arabia's key hub and reduces transit time by about one week compared to alternative routes.

Zhoushan Customs has worked with terminals and shipping agents to streamline customs procedures, including advance declarations and scheduled clearance. Customs officials have also introduced 24-hour appointment services and holiday inspection arrangements to speed up exports of machinery, building materials, new-energy products, and engineering equipment.

The new service adds to the expanding Middle East network in the Jintang area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Since the beginning of the year, 16 new foreign-trade routes to the Middle East have been added, connecting the port with 14 major ports in seven countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

From January to June, the Jintang area handled 279,800 TEUs of containerized exports to the Middle East, up 216.15 percent year-on-year.