The "Mediterranean Jessinia" vessel docked at the Qingdao Port Qianwan Container Terminal located in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao on the 4th, and will be fully loaded with mechanical and electrical products, chemicals, textiles and other goods from northern China, and will directly sail to the two hub ports of Brisbane and Sydney in Australia. This marks the official opening of the Shandong Port Qingdao Port Australia Direct Shipping New Route (KANGAROO).

Jie Dongmei, Director of the Foreign Trade Business Department of Shandong Port Qingdao Port consolidation company, introduced that the Australian direct shipping route opened this time is the first foreign trade route opened by the port in 2026, launched by Mediterranean Shipping (MSC). This route realizes direct connectivity between core ports in China and hub ports in Australia, with a docking sequence of Qingdao Shanghai Ningbo Brisbane Sydney Qingdao. The direct flight from Qingdao to Brisbane takes about 20 days, and the direct flight to Sydney takes about 25 days, providing enterprises with a "fast and intensive" two-way logistics channel.

It is reported that Mediterranean Shipping is the world's largest container shipping company and has close cooperation with Qingdao Port in Shandong Province. In 2025, the company's container volume at Qingdao Port in Shandong Province will exceed 3 million TEUs, setting a new historical high. With the opening of new routes, the total number of routes operated by the company at Qingdao Port in Shandong Province has reached 18, which will further improve the global route layout of Qingdao Port in Shandong Province.

Zhang Yong, Deputy General Manager of Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal Co., Ltd., said that with the opening of the direct shipping route to Australia, Shandong Port Qingdao Port will further open up the Australian terminal market channel for exporting goods from northern China, while efficiently undertaking the import distribution of Australian goods, reducing the comprehensive logistics costs of enterprises, and building a more efficient logistics bridge for China Australia economic and trade cooperation.

It is reported that Qingdao Port in Shandong Province is an international shipping hub in Northeast Asia. Currently, the total number of foreign trade routes in the port is nearly 240, ranking first among ports in northern China and connecting more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions worldwide. At the same time, the port continues to play a hub radiation driving role, building a three-dimensional logistics network of "port, inland port, and sea rail intermodal transportation". 56 inland ports have been built, 86 sea rail intermodal trains have been opened, and the sea rail intermodal container volume continues to maintain the first place among coastal ports in China. (End)