An aerial view of Xiamen Port. [Photo provided to ftz.xm.gov.cn]
A batch of containers from Wuhan transported by train to Xiamen recently boarded foreign trade container ships at the Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal in the Xiamen Free Trade Zone and set sail for European ports such as Felixstowe in the United Kingdom. This marks the official opening of the "Wuhan-Xiamen-Europe" sea-rail intermodal service.
The official in charge of Xiamen Ocean Gate Container Terminal Co Ltd stated: "Previously, goods from Wuhan were transported through river-sea intermodal transportation, such as via the Yangtze River to Shanghai or Xiamen for transshipment. Now, directly using the railway to Xiamen reduces shipping time by approximately seven days, resulting in faster delivery and lower costs."
The first "Wuhan-Xiamen-Europe" sea-rail intermodal service carried a total of 66 containers, with 38 containers boarding the vessel OOCL Turkiye bound for Europe. The remaining containers will be transported by other vessels for subsequent sea voyages.
By seamlessly connecting rail and sea transportation, this mode of transportation provides a more convenient shipping method for linking the Maritime Silk Road with the central regions.
Xiamen Ocean Gate Terminal is currently accelerating construction on a number of sea-rail intermodal projects. This is one of the first batches of key projects for the integrated development of national transportation and logistics. It is also China's first railway line to directly enter the terminal operating area from a vertical shoreline, with a distance of only 70 meters to the terminal front.
After the project is completed, the Ocean Gate Terminal will cooperate with the supply chain warehouses and yards in the rear to provide a multimodal sea, land, railway, and road transportation model for goods. This will help Xiamen Port expand its hinterland market and offer more convenient logistics channels for customers.