Rizhao-Incheon container liner route makes maiden voyage, Shandong Rizhao adds new land-sea circulation channel

On the evening of November 11, the Lexus docked at Shijiu Port Area of ​​Rizhao Port slowly left the berth, marking the maiden voyage of the Rizhao-Incheon container liner route. The ship has a load capacity of 12,480 tons and can carry 1,102 TEUs. It arrived at the SNCT Xianguang Terminal of Incheon New Port, South Korea about 24 hours after departing from Rizhao, and can be distributed to the Seoul metropolitan area of ​​South Korea the next day.

This is Rizhao’s first direct container trunk line to Incheon, South Korea. The route runs twice a week. In addition to the routes from Rizhao to Pyeongtaek and Busan, South Korea, the number of container liner services from Rizhao area to South Korea can reach seven times a week.

"Compared with traditional transit routes, the new routes can effectively reduce logistics costs and provide foreign trade companies and cross-border e-commerce practitioners with more efficient and high-quality overseas options." said Zhang Jun, general manager of Shandong Port Rizhao Port Container Company. In the past, some goods to South Korea from southern Shandong, northern Jiangsu and even areas along the Yellow River hinterland often needed to be transferred around other ports. Nowadays, goods are loaded in Rizhao and directly reach the west coast of South Korea. The route is shorter, there are fewer links, and the cost is more controllable.

It is reported that Rizhao Port is the only coastal port in China with two thousand-kilometer railways directly connected to the port area. The Wari and Yanri railways extend westward, closely connecting the hinterland along the Yellow Sea with the coast of the Yellow Sea. Shanxi coal can be transported to Rizhao via the Wari Railway and then shipped south to the power plant; after inland cross-border e-commerce goods are collected at the port, they can be distributed to the Korean consumer market via the new Rizhao-Incheon route; Central Asian goods arrive in Rizhao via sea-rail combined transport and then extend to a broader market. Here, railways, ports, ships, and overseas ports are strung together into a smooth logistics chain, allowing inland goods to go out to sea through ports and overseas goods to flow smoothly into the mainland.

It is reported that Incheon Port is the largest port on the west coast of South Korea and the second largest international trade port in South Korea, close to the Seoul metropolitan area. This route not only improves transportation timeliness, but also promotes optimization of cargo structure. High value-added sources of goods such as auto parts, machinery and equipment, and electronic products are becoming new additions to the port’s container business.

From January to October 2026, the container throughput of Rizhao Port increased by 7.5% year-on-year; 4 new container routes were developed, 7 new railway shipping directions were added, and the sea-rail combined transport container volume increased by 9.2% year-on-year. At the same time, the "one-box" model of sea-rail intermodal transport is accelerating its promotion. From January to July this year, Rizhao Port's "one-box" container sea-rail combined transport volume increased by 206.2% year-on-year, ranking first among China's coastal ports.