Maersk ship

The shipping unit of the Danish AP-Moller Maersk shipping conglomerate, Maersk Line, has reaffirmed its commitment to the world's seventh largest port, reports China Daily.

'We will continue to develop our business in the region with Qingdao as our trunk port, as well as maintain good cooperation with the Port of Qingdao, supporting its ambition to become a world-leading port,' Tim Smith, CEO of Maersk Line North Asia, said.

The remarks were made at a ceremony to celebrate the annual throughput of Maersk Line at the Qingdao port exceeding 1m TEU of containers for the first time.

Maersk Line is the first carrier to achieve this milestone within a single year, according to port data.

The Danish group has worked closely with the Qingdao port for many years, having invested in 2003 in the Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal and expanded Maersk Line services between the port and Europe and the US.

The logistics heavyweight currently has 11 global services calling at the port.

During the first three quarters of the year, cargo volume at Qingdao port reached 10.87m TEU.