Xiamen Port adds new 'BRICS route'

On August 17th, the cargo ship Meratus Kumai, loaded with marble products and other goods, set sail from Xiamen Port in Southeast China's Fujian Province, to Indonesia under the supervision of Xiamen Customs, marking the first voyage of the new route between Xiamen and Indonesia.

This year, Indonesia became a member of BRICS and economic and trade exchanges among BRICS countries have become increasingly close. As a strategic hub city on the Maritime Silk Road, Xiamen is actively expanding trade cooperation and route networks with BRICS countries.

To date, Xiamen Port has 24 "BRICS routes", covering 20 major ports in six BRICS countries, including India, Indonesia, and South Africa. Via these routes, Fujian specialty products are being shipped to various corners of the world.

"This route is operated solely by Meratus Group on a monthly schedule, departing from Xiamen, passing through Qingdao and Shanghai, then heading south directly to Jakarta. After loading cargo in Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar, the ship returns to Xiamen," said Ding Wei, the ship scheduler at China Ocean Shipping Agency Xiamen Co., Ltd.

Compared to traditional routes from Xiamen Port to Indonesia, this route has fewer port calls and reduces the voyage time by nearly 25%, effectively strengthening the connectivity and depth of cooperation between Xiamen Port and Southeast Asian ports.

The route not only meets trade partners' demand for stable transport cycles but also reduces logistics costs by consolidating shipping capacity, making it particularly suitable for bulk commodities and industrial components that require relatively balanced transport timeliness.