Direct shipping route opens to link eastern Chinese city and Germany

This aerial drone photo shows Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship that will sail on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, docking at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

NINGBO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A cargo ship loaded with over 1,700 TEU containers of lithium batteries and e-commerce goods set sail on Monday from east China's Ningbo port for Wilhelmshaven in Germany, marking the opening of a "China-Europe express" shipping route.

The Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route will reduce transport time to 26 days, saving 12 days compared to the same route with multiple stops, according to Sun Xuejun, chairman of Zhejiang Seaport Logistics Group Co., Ltd.

This photo shows Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship that will sail on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, docking at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

This aerial drone photo shows Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship that will sail on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, docking at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

Containers are loaded onto Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship that will sail on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

Immigration administration police officers conduct security check aboard Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship that will sail on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

Kawa Ningbo, the first cargo ship sailing on the Ningbo-Wilhelmshaven direct route, departs from Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)