Recently, accompanied by a long whistle, a sea-rail intermodal train loaded with imported pulp slowly departed from Shandong Port Qingdao Port Xilian Company, heading toward its destination. This represents a vivid example of the rapid development of Qingdao Port's sea-rail intermodal business. From January to August 2025, Qingdao Port's sea-rail intermodal pulp shipment volume increased 48% year-on-year, reaching a historic high.

Behind this figure lies the strong momentum of Qingdao Port as the world's largest pulp import port, and serves as powerful testimony to China's construction of a modern logistics system and promotion of stable foreign trade growth.

Qingdao Port continues to strengthen its multimodal transport service capabilities, innovatively launching efficient organizational models such as "front port, rear station" and "ship-to-rail direct transfer." To date, Qingdao Port's sea-rail intermodal routes have surged to 86, with container rail-water intermodal volume exceeding 1.98 million TEU, maintaining its leading position nationwide.

As the world's largest pulp import port, Qingdao Port's pulp throughput in the first half of 2025 increased 22.5% year-on-year, with import volume accounting for more than 30% of the national total, serving as important support for economic development.

Qingdao Port has consistently maintained its leading role in pulp transportation. Anchored by market demand, it continuously strengthens multimodal transport service capabilities and expands sea-rail intermodal routes, building more convenient and smooth bidirectional logistics corridors.

This year, Qingdao Port has taken proactive measures, leveraging its comprehensive logistics and port service advantages. Targeting different enterprises' logistics pain points, it collaborates with traders, railways, and other resources to create customized "one enterprise, one strategy" solutions. The port extends its service reach continuously into inland areas, achieving seamless integration of "pulp unloading, pulp containerization, and train dispatch," significantly reducing enterprises' logistics costs and time efficiency. This opens a new sea-rail intermodal model centered on Qingdao Port, radiating throughout Shandong and facing the entire nation.

"Typically, pulp reaches our factory via truck transportation. Due to factors such as long distances and multiple handling stages, raw material supply shortages can easily occur. The new transportation model provided by Qingdao Port has solved our practical difficulties!" remarked a relevant manager from a pulp customer, highlighting the effectiveness of high-quality sea-rail intermodal development.

Currently, Qingdao Port regularly operates multiple routes including "Qingdao-Yanzhou, Xinjiang," continuously transporting pulp to destinations across the country.

Looking ahead, Shandong Port Qingdao Port will deeply explore business chains, innovate service models, promote steady growth in sea-rail intermodal train operations, and continuously expand radiating effects, contributing fully to the construction of a world-class marine port.