Maersk to boost cooperation with Qingdao port

Maersk Line, the shipping unit of the Danish AP-Moller Maersk shipping conglomerate, will strengthen its cooperation with East China's Qingdao port, Tim Smith, CEO of Maersk Line North Asia, said on Thursday.

"We will continue to develop our business in the region with Qingdao as our trunk port, as well as maintain good cooperation with the Port of Qingdao, supporting its ambition to become a world-leading port," Smith said.

He made the remarks during a speech at a ceremony to celebrate the fact that the annual throughput of Maersk Line at the Qingdao port for the first time exceeded 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEU, of containers.

Maersk Line is the first carrier to achieve that volume within a single year at the port, port data showed.

The Danish group has cooperated with the Qingdao port for many years. In 2003, the group invested, together with two other companies, in the Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal.

In 2004, Maersk Line expanded its feeder service in Qingdao to deploy direct calls for its European shipping route, and later launched a service between Qingdao and the West Coast of the United States, further strengthening the competitiveness of the port among ports in North and East China.

Maersk Line currently has 11 global services calling at Qingdao port.

This year also marks the 120th anniversary of Qingdao port. With established trade relations with over 450 ports in more than 130 countries and regions across the world, the port serves the largest vessels in the world.

During the first three quarters of the year, cargo volume at Qingdao port reached 10.87 million TEU, according to the port.