A maritime highway between Qingdao and South Korea is to start operation at the end of August to increase the logistics efficiency and lower the transportation cost for freight vehicles traveling between China and South Korea by providing easier access.

According to the city's transportation department, the first phase of the project will allow chassis trailers from both countries to get onto ships, which is highly efficient, economic and energy-saving. The second phase of the project will allow entire vehicles to enter the ship.

According to the statistics provided by the local authority, it takes about 3.5 hours to transform a trailer into a container truck, saving about $50 in total. "The highway can significantly increase the competitiveness of Qingdao Harbor," an official of the department said.

In recent years, Qingdao has been building three logistics systems in the filed of sea, air and land, hoping to build the city into an international logistics center in northeast Asia.

"The new route will promote business communication and transportation cooperation between the two countries, which is very meaningful for the city's logistics development," the official said.

The city will also apply to build a land container transportation checkpoint, becoming a rail hub for container transportation.

China Daily Qingdao Bureau

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Clark Cahill