On October 17, 2025, the "Hongwei" vessel, carrying timber, boards, fertilizers, and other goods, successfully arrived at Nanjing Longtan Port. This marked the successful completion of its two-month round trip on the Arctic route, signifying a substantial breakthrough for Nanjing in its ambition to become a regional shipping logistics hub.
The vessel departed from Nanjing on August 15, loaded with "Made in China" products including automotive parts, electromechanical products, and white goods. It took the Arctic Northeast Passage to reach Europe directly. Compared to previous routes via the Red Sea—Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope, this new Arctic shipping route significantly reduced the transport time from 36 days to just 26 days, saving a full 10 days and substantially lowering transportation costs.
To ensure the vessel's safe navigation and docking, the Nanjing Maritime Bureau, as the main organizer for tasks related to the construction of Nanjing as a regional shipping logistics center, leveraged the integrated advantages of maritime supervision and service guarantees in the Yangtze River Delta. They coordinated with transportation and relevant maritime management agencies along the river to implement full tracking and maintenance throughout the voyage; utilized smart maritime systems and drone-assisted three-dimensional patrol systems for comprehensive control; collaborated with hydrometeorological departments for weather warnings and information services; coordinated with pilotage departments to assign experienced pilots; and facilitated administrative approvals for vessel docking and restricted vessel clearances through a green channel. They also pre-deployed high-power tugboats and patrol vessels to maintain navigational order and manage vessel traffic.
As a regional shipping logistics center, Nanjing Port effectively integrates upstream shipping resources from the Anhui and Jiangsu provinces and the canal economic belt, focusing on high value-added products such as complete automobiles and parts, white goods, and machinery. The opening of the Arctic route further strengthens Nanjing Port’s capacity for aggregation and radiation, facilitating its transformation from an "inland river port" to an "international shipping hub."
Currently, Nanjing Port has established a network of 17 direct shipping routes to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, South America, India, the Arctic, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It continues to enhance its domestic trade route layout, maintaining direct shipping routes to Tianjin, Beijing-Tangshan, Guangzhou, and Qinzhou; and covers all major ports within the Yangtze River Basin through feeder routes.
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