On September 18, MV Guofuhai, an 80,000-tonne multi-purpose container vessel newly delivered by COSCO Shipping Group, made its maiden call at Nanjing Port’s Longtan Container Terminal. The call marked the launch of Nanjing’s first direct international shipping route to North Africa and set a new record for the largest container volume ever carried by a single vessel at the port.
With a capacity of 2,970 TEUs, the vessel primarily carries foreign trade cargo such as home appliances and machinery. Its open-top cargo holds allow two-way transport, handling outbound container shipments and inbound dry bulk cargo on the same route. With the new route, manufacturers in Nanjing and surrounding areas can ship goods directly from their home port, rather than transshipping via Shanghai, Ningbo and other ports, cutting logistics costs by about RMB 1,000 (roughly US$140) per container.
Nanjing, located on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is a key national hub for river-sea transshipment. Leveraging the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, Nanjing Port connects inland regions along the upper and middle Yangtze with coastal international terminals. Foreign trade cargo can complete customs declaration locally before export, avoiding overland transfer. To support direct berthing and departure, Nanjing MSA has established a green channel for administrative approvals, shortening the lead time for port entry and restricted navigation permits and improving overall port clearance efficiency.
The Nanjing Metropolitan Area boasts a robust industrial base, featuring dense industrial clusters in home appliances, machinery manufacturing, electronics and fine chemicals. These industries are highly complementary to North African markets. The direct route provides a stable, all-water export corridor for these competitive industries, helping consolidate foreign trade cargo volumes within the metropolitan area while supporting efficient logistics for bulk commodity imports.
Backed by its geographic and shipping advantages, Nanjing Port has seen steady growth in container throughput. Its annual container throughput exceeded 4 million TEUs in 2025, an all-time high. The successful berthing of this large container vessel lays solid groundwork for Nanjing Port’s goal of becoming a regional shipping and logistics hub by 2035, with a target of 6.3 million TEUs.
The launch of the North Africa direct service opens an ocean logistics corridor linking China’s hinterlands directly to North Africa. It also provides strong logistics support for foreign-invested enterprises seeking to establish operations in and around Nanjing and tap into North African markets.
