Maersk million a Qingdao port record

The throughput of Maersk Line at Qingdao Port for the first time exceeded one million TEU in a single year, Cargonews Asia reports.

This marks a significant milestone in the history of the Port of Qingdao as Maersk Line became the first carrier to hit such a substantial volume in a 12-month period.

“Being the eighth biggest port in the world today, Qingdao Port has been growing with an astonishing speed in the recent years,” said Tim Smith, CEO of Maersk Line North Asia.

Smith and Qingdao Port Group chairman and president Chang Dechuan, and representatives of Maersk Line customers, were on hand to witness the moving of the millionth box.

A.P. Moller-Maersk has cooperated with Qingdao Port for many years. In 2003, together with two other shareholders, the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group invested in the Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal (QQCT).

In 2004, Maersk Line expanded its feeder service in Qingdao to deploy direct calls at Qingdao for its European trades, and later launched a service between Qingdao and the US West Coast, further strengthening the competitiveness of Qingdao Port among ports in North China.

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

The container throughput of Qingdao Port of the first three quarters of 2012 reached 10.87 million TEU.