Maersk completes first domestic shipment in China

Maersk became the first international container shipping company to provide domestic transportation in China.

The container ship “Merete Maersk” transported 27 containers originating from Vancouver (Canada), from Yangshan terminal in Shanghai to Tianjin, the maritime gateway to the capital Beijing.

The Danish container shipping company called it “a milestone in China’s opening of coastal markets to foreign carriers”.

The Chinese government decided last November to allow foreign container shipping companies to try out coastal voyages between four ports until December 31, 2024; next to Yangshan and Tianjin, Qingdao and Dalian.

Maersk is one of the shipping companies that has been pushing to open up the Chinese market.

Maersk said the transshipment in Shanghai allowed them to “optimize the network”. “It could solve some of the reasons behind bottlenecks in China’s supply chain, reduce shipping times, reduce emissions and provide additional capacity for our customers.”

The Danish shipping company believes that China itself can also benefit and make Shanghai a more important shipping center. Until now, shipping companies had to rely on ports such as Singapore and Busan for transshipment. Maersk also said it hopes the Chinese government’s decision will inspire other countries that still have restrictions on international shipping.