Rhine Maersk, acontainer vessel from Denmark, arrives at the Dapukou Port in Jintang Port Areaof the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on Feb9. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Since theBelt and Road (B&R) Initiative was put forward six years ago, China hascontinuously increased its investment in countries and regions involved in theinitiative, which has in turn boosted the development of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. 

Statisticsshow that the port handled 1.08 billion metric tons of cargo and 26.35 milliontwenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, ranking first globally in cargoturnover for the 10th consecutive year, and reaching the world's top three incontainer throughput for the first time. 

Situatedin a central location on the coastline of the Chinese mainland, the port is atthe converging point of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st CenturyMaritime Silk Road, which endows it the natural advantage of connecting China'smid and west areas with B&R countries and regions. 

The porthas been strengthening cooperation with global shipping companies over the pastsix years to open cargo routes and liners towards these countries. 

"Wehave increased the container routes toward B&R countries and regions from40 in 2013 to more than 90 now, and the number of container liners has alsobeen increased to 5,000," said Jiang Wei, secretary of the board ofNingbo-Zhoushan Port Group. 

The portnow handles about 10 million TEUs from these countries and regions every year,accounting for one fourth of the port's annual total TEU throughput.

It hasalso been expanding exports to them, with many cars shipped to Saudi Arabia,Egypt, Cuba and Malaysia, and fishing vessels exported to some Africancountries over the years.

With thecargo throughput via sea-rail intermodal transport surging from 59,000 TEUs in2012 to 600,000 TEUs in 2018, the port has become the largest port in cargoturnover via sea-rail intermodal transport in the southern part of China.

It has sofar opened 13 sea-rail intermodal transport routes, with businesses reaching 15provinces in China, and Central Asia, North Asia and East Europe. 

Its firstbatch of cargo heading for Germany arrived at Chongqing on Jan 14 through theChongqing-Ningbo cargo train route of the port.