The COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co' vessel "Bao Rui Ling" recently set sail from Zhangjiagang Port to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Mombasa, Kenya, marking the official opening of a new trade route connecting Zhangjiagang with East and Southern Africa.
The COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co's vessel "Bao Rui Ling" recently set sail from Zhangjiagang Port to Tanzania and Kenya. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
The vessel's lower deck carried products from Jiangsu Shagang Group, while the upper deck transported 146 engineering vehicles, primarily manufactured by China FAW Group Co and China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co (Sinotruk).
This express weekly service from Zhangjiagang to East-Southern Africa can reach its destination in as fast as 20 days, reducing transit time by over 10 days and improving efficiency by more than 30 percent.
In recent years, COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co has introduced regular liner services from Zhangjiagang to Latin America, East-Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and irregular routes to the Middle East and Mediterranean ports. These services provide tailored logistics solutions for the city's steel and heavy equipment exports, helping local enterprises expand into global markets. Since the beginning of this year, 16 specialized cargo vessels have departed from Zhangjiagang's port terminals, supporting trade with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries.
As early as 2022, Zhangjiagang Port and COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co launched the "Zhangjiagang–Latin America Premium Dual-Service Route" together, enabling bidirectional shipments of copper concentrate in bulk bags imports and heavy machinery exports. In just three years, Zhangjiagang Port has become a key transshipment hub for copper concentrate in bulk bags along the Yangtze River and has established a strong presence in the Latin American route.
An aerial view of Zhangjiagang Port. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
In 2024 alone, the Gangxin Heavy Equipment Port, a key logistics hub for the Yangtze River Heavy Equipment Industrial Park, has handled 27 international shipping voyages of COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co, moving 310,000 cubic meters (about 110,900 metric tons) of oversized cargo.
Looking ahead, Zhangjiagang Port will deepen collaboration with major shipping enterprises. By leveraging its integrated "port + shipping + agency" logistics model, the port aims to scale up exports of the "new trio" products and specialized equipment to BRI partner countries, cementing its position as the leading hub for heavy and oversized cargo along the Yangtze River.