First foreign-owned container departs via rail-sea link

By Ma Yuhan, Yichang Three Gorges International Communication Studio

A freight train carrying 37 carriages of chemical products left Yichang East Railway Station at 2 pm on July 19. This is the first time Yichang has collaborated with a foreign shipowner using rail-sea intermodal transportation.

The cargo is destined for Beilun Port in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. From there, it will be shipped to Brazil's Santos Port by Maersk.

A train from the Yichang-Ningbo rail-sea intermodal line departs Yichang East Railway Station.

Maersk, the renowned shipping and logistics company, supplied 152 containers to aid the export of glyphosate, a widely used chemical in herbicide and pesticide production, by Yichang's Xingfa Group. Xingfa Group is the largest phoschemical company in central China.

The Yichang-Ningbo rail-sea intermodal transportation system was launched in July of last year. This method, in contrast to traditional approaches, keeps cargos in containers throughout the entire journey and requires only one customs clearance, resulting in time and transportation cost savings.

To date, the Yichang-Ningbo rail-sea intermodal transportation has operated 2,385 trains. Yichang has partnered with 16 Chinese shipowners and over 50 local foreign trade companies through this system.

Jie Xingwei contributed the original Chinese story for this report.