Ningbo-Zhoushan Port opens new trade route

MSC Jessenia R docks at the Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. [Photo by Wu Mengkai/Yongpai App]

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port launched its first new foreign trade route of 2026 on Jan 8, as the MSC Jessenia R made its maiden call at the Chuanshan Port Area.

The vessel carried 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods — including electronics, chemicals, daily necessities, and building materials — and is scheduled to reach Brisbane 14 days after departure on Jan 9.

The newly launched Kangaroo route will deploy seven international vessels and is expected to contribute nearly 3,600 TEUs of monthly export throughput at the Ningbo port.

Departing from Qingdao and calling at Shanghai and Ningbo before heading directly to Brisbane and Sydney, the service provides a streamlined maritime corridor for manufacturers across Ningbo.

Australia remains one of Ningbo's top 10 trading partners, yet traditional routes often involved multiple intermediate port calls and longer transit times. During peak seasons, exporters frequently faced delays that caused them to miss market windows.

The new route leverages major domestic hub ports and sails directly to Australia, reducing transit time from about 20 days to 14. This improvement enhances supply chain reliability and supports the pre-Spring Festival export surge.

With the launch of the new route, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port now operates over 300 container routes, connecting more than 700 ports in over 200 countries and regions.