A cargo vessel loaded with 358 TEUs departed from the Jingkai Port in Wuhan on May 10, heading for Moji, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan via Busan, the Republic of Korea (ROK). It marks the first voyage of the direct shipping route linking Wuhan with Japan and the ROK in 2026.

The shipment volume rose by 17.8 percent year on year from the first voyage in 2025. Goods include engine parts, new energy battery components, non-woven fabrics, fine chemicals and Hubei’s specialty foods.

Jingkai Port is the only foreign trade container port in Wuhan, with 330 meters of deep-water shoreline and annual handling capacity of over 300,000 TEUs. The Wuhan-Japan-ROKdirect shipping route, first launched in July 2025, can cut shipping time by three to five days and save about 1,000 yuan per container compared with coastal transshipment.

From January to April this year, the loaded container volume at the port increased by 50 percent year on year.

Editor: Zong Xia