Nanjing Maritime Authority Escorts the Regular Operation of the "Nanjing-Middle East" Ro-Ro Liner Route

On September 26, with the support of the Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration, the ocean-going ro-ro vessel "Anji 11" successfully docked at the Jiangsheng Auto Terminal of Nanjing Port to begin a new round of loading operations. After loading 1,120 commercial vehicles, it will set sail again for the Middle East. This marks the realization of a round-trip operation for the "Nanjing-Middle East" ro-ro foreign trade liner route, with continuous improvement in route stability. The foreign trade ro-ro business at Jiangsheng Terminal has entered a new phase of normalized liner operations. This route has opened up a direct sea route for the export of complete vehicles, effectively driving the accelerated growth of foreign trade exports at the port. By the end of September 2026, the foreign trade export volume at Jiangsheng Terminal has already surpassed the total for the entire year of 2025.

At the end of July this year, with the support of the Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration, the "Anji 11" left the Jiangsheng Terminal of Nanjing Port, fully loaded with domestically produced vehicles heading directly to the Middle East, officially opening the Nanjing-to-Middle East foreign trade ro-ro liner route. After completing transoceanic transport and overseas delivery, the vessel returned to Nanjing to undertake its next loading operation. This established a stable round-trip liner model of "Departing from Nanjing - Unloading in the Middle East - Returning to Nanjing - Setting out to sea again," bidding farewell to one-way operations. It has created a direct sea route for the export of complete vehicles for various automotive brands, effectively shortening export logistics cycles and reducing the overall costs of foreign trade for complete vehicles.

Since the maiden voyage of the ro-ro liner at the end of July, the Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration has closely aligned with the needs of ocean-going ro-ro ships for direct sea-river operations and circular routes, coordinating safety supervision and enterprise-support services to fully ensure the smooth operation of the route. In terms of navigation support, a key vessel tracking mechanism has been established. Port scheduling has been optimized according to vessel characteristics and channel conditions to reduce waiting times and ensure efficient voyage connections. Regarding port services, collaboration with customs, border inspection, and other units has resulted in a joint inspection mechanism, the creation of a green customs clearance channel, and streamlined approval processes, achieving "zero waiting" for docking and "zero delays" for departure, thus improving port circulation efficiency. For safety supervision, ship pre-inspections and online pre-reviews have been implemented, focusing on targeted regulation of critical aspects such as vehicle securing, fire, and explosion prevention. Remote inspection frequencies have been increased to ensure a balance between safety and loading/unloading efficiency. Additionally, maritime experts have been stationed at the terminal on a regular basis to provide legal dissemination and technical guidance, identify operational bottlenecks for enterprises, and refine operational contingency plans, ensuring the safe and simultaneous operation of multiple ocean-going routes.

Currently, Nanjing Port has opened transoceanic ro-ro routes to Mexico and the Middle East, forming an international route network with parallel routes and internal-external connectivity. The normalized operation of the Middle East circular liner will further concentrate resources of the automotive industry along the Yangtze River, strengthen the clustering and radiating capabilities for the automotive industry in the hinterland, and continuously consolidate and enhance Nanjing's competitiveness as an export hub for complete vehicles from the Yangtze River hinterland.

Moving forward, the Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration will closely adhere to the requirements of stabilizing foreign trade and ensuring smooth logistics, continuously optimizing the full-process support for foreign trade vessels. This will further strengthen the clustering and radiating capabilities of the automotive industry in the hinterland, help Nanjing Port build a strong hub for the export of complete vehicles via the Yangtze River, and assist in the development of Nanjing as an international comprehensive transportation hub city and a regional shipping and logistics center.