Two Tongxiang ships set sail from Yushi Logistics' terminal at Zhapu Port, Jiaxing on Oct 28. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Two 64.9-meter-long Tongxiang ships embarked on their maiden voyage from Yushi Logistics' terminal at Zhapu Port, Jiaxing on Oct 28.

These ships, each capable of carrying 64 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), are now able to navigate directly from inland rivers to the sea thanks to the newly opened Yushi–Zhapu route. Cargo from Yushi Logistics' terminal can now be shipped directly to Zhapu Port and then transferred to Ningbo–Zhoushan Port for export.

Tongxiang, which produces about 25 percent of the world's glass fiber materials, established its export base in 2011. The new route facilitates the export of its products, shifting from road transport to a multimodal river-sea system.

Yushi Logistics implemented a smart logistics platform to optimize efficiency. With 20 new automatic-transmission heavy trucks, the company has improved fuel economy and transportation efficiency.

Establishing an inland multipurpose terminal in 2017 and the Yushi–Zhapu–Ningbo foreign trade route in 2021, Yushi's water transport business has gone from only 17,000 boxes in the initial year to 100,000 containers in 2023, and demonstrates the broad prospects of multimodal transport.

Yushi Logistics continues to expand its global service network, supporting Tongxiang's manufacturing exports and enhancing its position as a key logistics hub in the Yangtze River Delta.