The named route of “Silk Road Shipping” reaches 150 ports in 48 countries and regions around the world; The cumulative number of container routes has exceeded 20,000, and the container throughput has exceeded 24 million TEUs.
From the European line operated by Mediterranean Shipping in Dalian Port, Liaoning Province, to the Papua New Guinea Line operated by Meritus Shipping in Fuzhou Port, Fujian, and then to the South American West Line operated by COSCO Shipping in Qiankai Port in Peru. At the 7th “Silk Road Shipping” International Cooperation Forum, which kicked off on the 8th, the 15th batch of “Silk Road Shipping” named routes was released, and 15 new “Silk Road Shipping” routes were added. So far, there have been 148 named routes of “Silk Road Shipping”.
At present, the development of the international port shipping industry is facing many challenges, geopolitical conflicts have led to an increase in the risk of important channels, the Trump administration’s trade policies have increased the uncertainty of international trade and supply chain investment, and the green transformation of the industry is also imminent. He Jianzhong, chairman of the China Institute of Navigation, said at the meeting that it is necessary to comply with the new trend of green and low-carbon development of the port and shipping industry, seize the new opportunities for the integrated development of digital technology to connect the upstream and downstream of port and shipping, and create a new situation of win-win cooperation in “Silk Road shipping”.
The named route of “Silk Road Shipping” reaches 150 ports around the world
“Silk Road Shipping” is China’s first “Belt and Road” international shipping integrated logistics service brand and platform with shipping as the theme. After 7 years of development, the “Silk Road Shipping”, the “golden waterway” from Fujian, has become wider and wider.
At present, the “Silk Road Shipping” named route reaches 150 ports in 48 countries and regions around the world; the cumulative number of container routes has exceeded 20,000, and the container throughput has exceeded 24 million TEUs; the cargo throughput of the bulk cargo route exceeded 27 million tons, and the trade volume exceeded 26 billion yuan; The alliance has 367 members, covering shipping, energy, manufacturing, Internet and other industries, and its “circle of friends” and influence continue to expand.
“For Maldivians, the sea is our life. The sea is the road to the world, the source of our food and wealth, and the core of our identity. Hundreds of years ago, our entire island was an important node of the Maritime Silk Road. Ahmed Schyam, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of the Maldives, said at the meeting that Chinese ships brought porcelain, silk, and tea, while Maldivian merchants sent shells and fishing rods to various parts of the route. I hope to work with China in the future to explore more potential opportunities and mutually beneficial conveniences to transport tuna from the Maldives to a larger market.
Dr. Yudrian, Chief Representative of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in China Office, introduced at the main forum that the Port of Gdansk, Poland’s largest port, has opened direct flights with Xiamen Ocean Terminal and joined the “Silk Road Shipping” alliance in 2021.
Due to the convenience of logistics, many Chinese companies have come to invest, and the current cross-border e-commerce layout has begun to take shape.
“In the past three or four years, we have completed nearly 50 investment projects of Chinese enterprises, with an investment of nearly 1.7 billion euros and created thousands of jobs.” He said that at present, machinery manufacturing, electronic appliances and photovoltaic wind power are the key investment areas of Chinese enterprises in Poland. Chinese company Rongbai Technology invested more than 1 billion euros in western Poland last year, which is the largest investment project of Chinese companies in Poland so far, and has also made Poland a major producer of electric vehicle batteries in one fell swoop.
“The future competition is not a competition between a port and a country, but a competition between ecosystems.” In an interview with the first financial reporter, he said that deepening cooperation in the production and supply chain is the most likely development direction to strengthen the construction of the ecosystem in the future.
This forum also awarded plaques to 14 new members of the “Silk Road Shipping” alliance, held a signing ceremony for cooperation agreements, and signed 10 cooperation projects with the participation of 27 domestic and foreign units and enterprises.
Contribute to the green and low-carbon transformation of global shipping
In recent years, the international shipping market has also faced significant regulatory pressure. The European Union’s Carbon Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) will start its first payment for covered ships in 2025, and the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) emission reduction targets have put the industry facing a double countdown. In this context, this forum launched the “Silk Road Shipping” port and shipping green evaluation system for the first time.
Cao Rongrui, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Maritime University, introduced at the main forum that Shanghai Maritime University and “Silk Road Shipping” will explore the creation of a green port and shipping evaluation system for “Silk Road Shipping”. The report mainly focuses on the background and main characteristics of the research, the framework and key points of the system, and said that it will continue to deepen cooperation with the “Silk Road Shipping” alliance and work together to create a new smart and low-carbon future of “Silk Road Shipping”.
Professor Sha Mei, dean of the School of Transportation of Shanghai Maritime University, told the first financial reporter: “The EU’s MRV regulations (including the EU ETS as the basic regulation of the shipping industry) and the IMO’s emission reduction targets have increased the cost and economic pressure of corporate compliance, and also made new requirements for technical compliance. We should also do corresponding construction in China. ”
Shamei said that through a comprehensive carbon emission assessment of the named route of “Silk Road Shipping” and the coverage of port waters, the evaluation system will scientifically guide the green transformation of ports and shipping, create a low-carbon “Silk Road Shipping” channel, help enterprises enhance their competitiveness, promote the sustainable development of “Silk Road Shipping” and related fields, and will also help strengthen our country’s competitiveness and voice in green shipping.
At the same time, the green transformation of ships is also continuing to advance.
According to the “China New Energy and Clean Energy Ship Development Report (2024)” released at the forum, in 2024, our country will have put into operation a total of more than 1,000 pure battery-powered ships and LNG-powered ships, and the green methanol bunkering of international and domestic ships has been completed for the first time.
“At present, our country has changed from a follower in the global green and low-carbon field to a runner or even a leader.” Lin Ji, deputy general manager of COSCO SHIPPING Group, said that in response to the current requirements of green transformation, it is also necessary to promote smart green port solutions, promote the transformation of shore power facilities in ports along the route, and make the green Silk Road a clear symbol of the integrated development of ports, shipping, and trade.
