Chinese intra-Asia carrier SITC Container Lines has launched a Wenzhou-Indonesia connection that has been described as the first direct service between China’s Zhejiang province and major Indonesian ports.
The service began on 21 July 2020, with SITC’s chartered 2,700TEU vessel, Cape Magnus, departing Zhuangyuan’ao, a subport of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, after loading close to 100TEU.
The service will call at Indonesia’s four busiest container ports, Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak, (Surabaya), Tanjung Emas (Semarang) and Makassar.
Wenzhou’s municipal officials said that the new service provides a new and convenient channel for interaction and economic cooperation between Wenzhou and countries along the Belt and Road initiative.
In recent years, with the strategic partnership between Zhejiang Seaport Group, Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group and Wenzhou’s municipal government, Wenzhou Port has been continuously upgraded. This has enabled Wenzhou to have service connections with Taiwanese and South East Asian ports.
Domestic liner services between Ningbo and Wenzhou have also increased to 10 per week, resulting in Wenzhou’s non-domestic throughput rising by over 50% in H1 2020.
SITC stated that Tanjung Priok and Makassar can be used as transit points, covering all other smaller ports in Indonesia.
Wenzhou Port Group said that it will continue to improve its services to market itself as a hub port for southern Zhejiang, northern Fujian and eastern Jiangxi provinces.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
