The carrier GREEN NAGOYA, loaded with 20,000 cubic meters of goods including vehicles, equipment and steel products, docked at Qingdao Port of Shandong Port Group (SPG) on Dec 16. It is expected to arrive at Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania, Africa after a 20-day voyage. 

This marks the official launch of the first direct Southeast Africa shipping service at SPG, a service that sets sail every week. Qingdao Port has now emerged as the only hub port in northern China for COSCO Special Shipping's general cargo liner operations.

The vessel GREEN NAGOYA berths at Qingdao Port of SPG. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The direct Southeast Africa service is a joint effort between SPG and COSCO Special Shipping. The service reduces the fastest direct shipping time from China's base ports to the main ports of Southeast Africa to a mere 20 days. In addition, the delivery of goods to customers now takes just over 30 days, at least 10 days earlier than previous routes – enhancing efficiency by over 30 percent.

As the largest foreign trade port in northern China, Qingdao Port has introduced nine general cargo shipping routes since 2024, with 38 routes now operating normally. Through these expansions, a global service network covering regions such as Japan, South Korea, Russia's Far East, Southeast Asia and the Middle East has been established. Key commodities transported through these routes include plywood, steel products and engineering vehicles.

The service is scheduled as a four-times-monthly service and will deliver nearly 1.5 million cubic meters of goods to Southeast Africa per year, emerging as a "sea expressway" for general cargo transportation between China and Southeast African regions.