Damaiyu Port in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Damaiyu Port in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, celebrated the official opening of a new direct shipping route to Chile on Nov 9. This marks the port's third route launched under the Belt and Road Initiative, following routes to Vietnam and Japan over the past two years.

The inaugural shipment on this route consists of over 500 containers filled with leisure products manufactured in Taizhou, including sun umbrellas and ladders. It is expected to reach Chile in approximately 25 days.

This new route eliminates the need for Taizhou businesses to transport goods destined for South America through waterways or overland to Ningbo Port, resulting in significant time and cost savings. To support this shipping route, Yuedahui (Shanghai) Cold Chain Logistics and Sinotrans PFS Cold Chain Logistics have collaborated to provide one-stop supply chain services. The two companies have invested in the world's first fully-refrigerated container ship, which will bring over 10,000 metric tons of fresh Chilean cherries back to Damaiyu Port in mid-January next year for domestic consumers.

Chen Feng, the general manager of Yuedahui (Shanghai) Cold Chain Logistics, stated that the opening of this direct shipping route reduces the shipping time from South America to China from over 40 days to just 25 days. This will ensure that fresh fruits from South America reach Chinese consumers promptly.

Throughout the year, Damaiyu Port has increased its imports of fruit. During the first three quarters, it received six shipments of New Zealand kiwi and Chilean cherries, totaling nearly 33,900 tons valued at 1.03 billion yuan ($141.26 million). The opening of the South American shipping route is expected to facilitate the import of more South American fruits, such as cherries, plums, kiwis, and peaches, to meet the demands of domestic consumers.

Over the past two years, Damaiyu Port has successfully expanded its direct shipping routes to Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, totaling 16 international and domestic routes, including three routes to Belt and Road Initiative countries. This year, the port's container throughput is estimated to reach 500,000 TEUs.

The opening of these routes to Belt and Road Initiative countries has contributed to the growth of foreign trade in Taizhou. In the first nine months of this year, the city's trade volume with participating countries and regions reached 91.4 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.77 percent.