A liner labeled the "Luhaitong express" that set sail from Russia’s port of Vostochny arrived in Taicang on April 18, carrying 290 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), marking the operation of Taicang's first route connected to Russia for transportation of containers.

A banner is hung on a container to celebrate the operation of the first route connecting Taicang and Russia ports. [Photo from tcport.gov.cn]

The liner runs once every ten days. The cargo loaded onboard this time were grains, petrochemicals, starch products, and boards that were transported from the Suifen River area of northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province to southern China. On the way back to Russia, the liner will be loaded with electronic, light industry, and textile products which are manufactured in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

Attendees at the ceremony pose for a group photo to mark the event. [Photo from tcport.gov.cn]

Taicang Port, which is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary, is a nationally recognized artery port for container transportation at the north wing of the Shanghai International Navigation Center, a hub for transportation by river and sea, and also one of the top foreign trade ports for Jiangsu province. It has a 38-kilometer-long coast line along the Yangtze River and a 12.5-meter deep-water route. It has 56 berths of different sizes, including 29 at the 10,000-ton level and 10 for containers. The designed throughput capacity is 97.80 million tons and 4.35 million TEUs.