Shandong Port Group will invest more than 200 billion yuan ($30.88 billion) during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) to improve facilities and expand operations in an effort to build a world-class port conglomerate, said Huo Gaoyuan, chairman of the group.

An aerial view of the fully automated container terminal at Qingdao Port of Shandong Port Group. It is the first of its kind in Asia. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The SPG, established on Aug 6, 2019, integrates the province's major ports, including Qingdao Port, Yantai Port, Rizhao Port, and the Bohai Bay Port Group. It operates 17 main ports, more than 300 production berths, and more than 300 routes.

Located at the intersection of China's coastline and the Yangtze River golden waterway, the SPG serves as the bridgehead of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and an important hub of river-sea combined transportation for the Yangtze River Economic Belt, said Huo.

Huo said that the group aims to handle 1.72 billion tons of cargo in 2025 and ship 40 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of containers.

According to Huo, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the SPG implemented a number of large projects and promoted the construction of port infrastructure to facilitate regional opening-up and high-quality development.

In 2020, the group's cargo throughput and container volume exceeded 1.4 billion tons and 30 million TEUs, respectively, leading the country.