Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province officially launched a new direct shipping route to the U.S. West Coast on Wednesday, marking the port's 13th new foreign trade route this year and its second route to the United States.

A 259-meter-long vessel, loaded with 1,643 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, including aluminum products and daily consumer goods, departed Qingdao Port and is bound for major ports on the U.S. West Coast, including Los Angeles.

This marks that this direct shipping route between Qingdao Port and the U.S. West Coast began to operate regularly on a weekly basis. It will significantly reduce transshipment procedures and improve logistics efficiency. The average weekly export volume via the route is expected to maintain at 1,600 TEUs.

At present, Qingdao Port operates nearly 240 foreign trade routes, connecting with more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions worldwide.